


You Again?

by Lakin5



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: AU, Beyond Mushbury, Blackrock, F/F, F/M, Flux Buddies, Teencast, Zoethian only in flashbacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 02:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4204605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakin5/pseuds/Lakin5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Description: Rythian, after realizing his sister Nano is dating his old bully, Lalna, he vows to break them up, still believing him to be a bad guy! </p><p>Universe: Teencast, Modern Day, Sibling AU! </p><p>Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance, and Family/Friends!</p><p>Recommended to read while Style by Taylor Swift plays in the background on repeat!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: New Boyfriends and Old Reunions

"You got the James Dean, daydream look in your eye," Nano hummed cheerfully as she made her way to her bedroom, "and I got that red classic thing that you like!" 

She stopped her singing when she noticed her brother, Rythian, coming up behind her with a rather confused and amused look on his face.

"What? Can’t a girl sing peacefully without getting a weird look?" Nano questioned, more agitated than usual. 

Rythian just letting out a small laugh, clearly used to his sister's aggressive nature, "Oh no reason," laughter still present in his voice, "it’s just that you seem to be acting odd lately!" 

"And how am I acting odd?" 

"Well, you have been more happy and cheerful, which is weird because you're acting like Zoey, and you’ve been daydreaming and singing that same stupid song for the past week!" Rythian explained, interested in what the source of odd her behaviour was. 

"Style' is not a stupid song for one," Nano scoffed jokingly, somewhat offended, "and second, can't I be happy without being hounded by questions!" Nano was obviously avoiding the answer. 

"What is going on that you're not telling me?" 

Nano pouted, not wanting to tell him but decided to anyway just to get him off her back, she mumbled, "I have a new boyfriend!" hoping he couldn't hear her. 

"Boyfriend? So why didn't you want to tell me?" 

"Because relationships are gross and stupid and stuff, besides my last two boyfriends were complete jerks," Nano rambled, "plus we’ve only been dating for a week or so!" 

Rythian gave a kind smile underneath his signature scarf, "Aw, my little sis got a new boyfriend!" He teased, "So are you gonna tell me about him?" 

Nano hesitated as she thought, "Well, he is a bit of a science nerd, kind of an idiot at times, sickenly sweet, and he is super funny!" 

"He sounds like a nice enough guy! Science, huh, I thought you didn't like anything to do with science besides explosions and such?" 

"Hey, I don't only like explosions, I like other cool sciencey stuff! Besides he makes the boring sciencey stuff sound pretty cool!" 

Rythian nodded. 

Nano explained, "We were assigned as lab partners about a month ago, that is how we met; he is really smart and helped me get my grades up! I went from a failing C- to a B+ because of him! Remember a few weeks ago when I had that goopy purple substance all over my arms and face? Well, he had it too but not as much I did! Yeah, that was our fault for messing around in the lab, and boy, it took about a week to get all of it off!" 

Rythian seemed delighted at the thought of his sister's new boyfriend, by the way she talked about him, she must really like him. "I'm throwing a video game party this Saturday; Zoey, Fiona, Ravs, and Teep are coming over, maybe you can invite him, so we can meet him!" 

"Sounds like a plan!" 

 

The coffee table was filled with an assortment of chips and dips, with soda cans dispersed across the floor. The living room was pitch black except for the colorful display of the television, illuminating the group playing video games. 

A faint knock on the front door interrupted the round of Mario Kart 8. Nano quickly paused the game and rushed to the door to greet her new boyfriend. "That must be him!" 

"Thank god, you opened the door, I thought I was gonna be out there forever!" His dirty blonde locks dripped over his face, wet from the rain outside. 

"I would leave you out there if you think that is anyway to greet your girlfriend?" Nano joked as she let him in. 

"Haha, you wouldn't dream of it!" He leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek. 

"Oh, Lalna! That's more like it!" Nano reached up as she pulled him into a soft kiss, her cheeks bright red. 

"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone!" Nano escorted him to the living room. 

Nano gestured towards the sofa, introducing them left to right, "This is Zoey Proasheck," Zoey shyly waved back, her short auburn hair swinging ever so gently. "And her girlfriend, Fiona Saberial!" 

"Oh, hello!" Fiona replied, as she snuggled closer to Zoey, her long curly brunette hair flopping on Zoey's shoulder. 

Nano pointed to a large lad with scruffy black hair, "Over there is Ravs Mayor," then she signaled to the last person on the sofa with distinctive green hair contrasted by a red bandana, "and Teep Dinosaur!" Teep remained silent only giving a friendly gesture. 

Rythian sat quietly on the lounge chair parallel to the sofa, with Zoey to the left of him.  
"And finally meet my brother, Rythian Joa-Kim!" Rythian slowly approached Lalna with an open hand to initiate a handshake, Lalna gladly followed suit. "Nice to see a new face around here! Hope to see you here more often!" Lalna relaxed slightly then gave a smile towards Rythian. 

"Joa-Kim? But wait, I thought your last name was Kim?" 

"And it is!" 

"The reason we have semi-different last names is because our parents weren't married when I was born, and they wanted to honor both families! Then Nano was born after they were married so she was only given the one last name!" 

"I guess that makes sense!" 

After examining Lalna for while, Rythian discovered that he looked strangely familiar but he couldn't place why! 

"And everyone, meet my new boyfriend: Lalna Duncan!" 

Heck, even his name sounded familiar but he still couldn't remember where he first heard it. 

Relieved on how well everything was going, Nano took her previous spot on the floor in front of the coffee table. She motioned Lalna to come sit next her, and they waited for the current round to be over before he had the chance to play several rounds himself. 

Nano and Zoey won the most rounds, given that they had the most practice, with the others not falling far behind.

Nano and Lalna were cuddled up next to each other, though whenever Lalna threw a blue shell or a lighting bolt, he would receive a few little slaps and punches form an angry Nano. Nano wasn't free from the same treatment however, as he would poke or tickle her as a form of payback. 

As they were getting tired of playing Mario Kart 8, they agreed that their last game for the night would be Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U. everyone was having a great time it seemed. Except for Rythian, who was too focused on figuring out why Lalna seemed so familiar, even if he was certain that this was the first time they have met?

 

\--

Just a preteen, Rythian was causally walking to the park that was not too far from his house. He just barely made it there when he felt a hard object hit him in the back, stopping him in his tracks. He quickly looked behind him to find a rock on the ground, the object that hit him. Now the question was who threw said rock? 

He didn't have enough time to evaluate the situation when suddenly a boy, about his age maybe younger, came hurdling towards him. He had messy long, blonde hair and a broad and chubby frame, he could easily take on Rythian who had a lanky and slender form. Even if Rythian ran as fast as he could, he wouldn't be able to outrun the boy. 

Rythian thought fast as he hid behind a wide tree, giving him much needed cover. Thankfully, the young assailant gave up his chase once Rythian was out of his sight for too long. 

Rythian sighed as he trekked his way to his original destination, a playground castle that was made to look like one from medieval times. On top of it was his long time best friend, Zoey, eager to see his return. 

"What's a matter, grumpy grump?" Zoey could recognize his heavy expression through the thin black fabric that covered his mouth and nose, concealing his scars. Rythian just smiled, glad that the encounter with his attacker was over. 

Later that day, Rythian stood on the top of the faux castle and saw the same boy that attacked him earlier in the distance. He could faintly make out what the boy and another kid, that he was talking to, were saying. Rythian concentrated, then he finally heard the other kid refer to his attacker as 'Lalna.'

\--


	2. Chapter Two: Questions and Answers

The party wrapped up after the final round of Smash Bros. which the guests took as their cue to leave. Except for Zoey, who stayed afterwards because Rythian wanted to talk to her in private about an important, undisclosed matter. 

That left Fiona having to take a ride home with Ravs and Teep, because Zoey was her ride there. Lalna left as well with his own vehicle, but not before giving Nano a few smooches before saying goodbye. 

 

Rythian paced vigorously across his room, thinking to himself about all possible ways of how this could have ended up happening to him. 

However, Zoey stared at him with confusion, wondering what had caused him to act like this? And what was so important that he had to talk to her privately about? 

"Rythian, what is going on? You haven’t told me anything!" 

He paused, then thought intensely before he spoke, "It's him!" 

"What? Who's him?" 

"Lalna!" 

"Lalna? What about Lalna? None of this is making any sense!" 

Rythian sighed in aggravation, "Lalna, the same Lalna who bullied us when were kids, that broke your arm, that gave me my burns!" Rythian pulled down his scarf to reveal the burns dotted all across his jawline, while raised scars pierced the burnt skin. 

"Oh, that's him! Well, he seems to be doing really well for himself! And Nano really likes him as well!" 

"You're missing the point!" Rythian face palmed, before setting the scarf back in the usual position. 

"And what point am I missing?" She was confused on what he could possibly mean.

"Oh come on, you know what he did to us, how can you forget how much pain he put us through!" 

"Well, my arm healed up eventually!" 

"And what if he tries to pull the same crap on us again?" 

"But that was like five years ago, people change a lot in five years; hey, I used to think that I was straight!" 

"Can you not see the problem here? Justice needs to be served, he needs to pay for his crimes!" 

"Well, we can just ask him to apologize; I'm sure he feels guilty for what he did!" Zoey suggested not wanting any unneeded conflict to come from this. 

"Doubt he be willing to apologize. Besides, it won't fix anything. He needs to experience all the hell he put us through!" Rythian said with determination in his voice. 

"This is starting to sound like you are wanting revenge rather than justice?" 

"And it is justice, trust me Zoey, I know what I'm doing!" He grinned confidently. 

Zoey eyed him suspiciously, uncertain of his true intentions, "Okay, but this seems like a bad idea!" 

 

Nano laid in her bed, trying furiously to get some sleep, but not before calling her best friend to tell her about tonight's events. She heard a car start up and leave the driveway, indicating Zoey's departure. 

"Hey Lom!" She greeted her best friend, Lomadia Owls. 

"Hey, what's up? Did everything go alright? Don't tell me that Lalna did something stupid again?" 

"No, everything turned out okay, except for Rythian." 

Nano heard a pause before Lomadia spoke again, "Rythian? What about Rythian?" 

"I'm not sure, he acted like he liked Lalna at first, but then halfway through he turned cold towards him? Like he won't stop staring at him and wouldn't acknowledge any of the things he said." 

"Interesting, do know any reason as to why he would act like that?" 

"I don't know? I'm gonna have to ask him in the morning!" 

Nano and Lomadia chatted for a half an hour longer before they hung up the phone. Nano attempted to sleep again, hoping to get much needed answers on the whole situation in the morning. 

 

As the sun rose up, so did Rythian with it. He marched his way to the bathroom to start his daily routine. First he carefully took off his scarf, setting the long, thick, purple fabric, folded neatly, on the bathroom counter. He then etched his hand over his chin, feeling the rough texture of the burns and scars. He didn't mind the scars as much since they were four small, thin lines that slashed between his lips and were very hard to distinguish. He received them when he was around five years old, while playing at night when a big cat or maybe a dog attacked him. He then later adapted the scarf look by the age of ten. The burns on the other hand, were big, blotchy, and covered a large part of his jaw.

He hated the burns on his skin! He hated Lalna for giving him the dreaded burns! He hated Lalna for making his life a living hell when he was younger! He hated that Lalna was now dating his little sister! He hated Lalna!

Out of rage, Rythian slammed his palms against the counter and let a few minutes pass by for him to catch his breath and calm down. 

Rythian stumbled around the cabinets to find some lotion and burn cream to dress up and soothe the burns, even if they were going to be covered up by his scarf anyway. 

As he applied the cream, he saw his sister over the corner of his eye through the mirror, surprised she was awake this early. 

"Why are you up so early, it's like seven AM, don't you usually not wake up until noon?"

Nano yawned groggily, clearly not fully awake yet. She grabbed a hairbrush and combed through her long jet black hair, making sure all of her wavy curls were in their proper place. 

Once she was done, she finally replied to her brother, "Well it's bloody hard to sleep, when I hear you stomping around everywhere! Besides I couldn't get much sleep anyway, not when I can’t stop wondering what the hell went on last night that made you act the way you did towards Lalna?" 

"Why don't you ask your new boyfriend about that!" He said smugly, as he put his scarf back on. 

"Maybe I will then!" She matched his tone, not backing down easily. 

"Remember when I got burnt and Zoey broke her arm, and Mom and Dad drove us to the hospital?" Rythian gave in knowing he would be arguing with her all day if their little banter continued, "Your boyfriend did that to us!" 

Nano took a second to react and she reacted in a way that Rythian didn't expect her to, "Oh for fucks sake, Rythian, that happened like forever ago, you can't quite honestly still be mad at him for that?" 

"Wait, why are you defending him over me, your own brother? Geez, this is worst than Zoey's idea of asking him to apologize to us, but I'm certain he doesn't even regret what he did!" 

"Maybe cause she is right!" Nano rolled her eyes, "Rythian, I know Lalna, he is like the sweetest guy ever, so I'm sure he feels sorry about what happened! Bedsides it could be worse?" 

"And how can this possibly be worse than it already is?" Rythian challenged, intrigued as to how it could be. 

"Well, he could be a cold-hearted, bloodthirsty, murderous, cannibalistic, evil clone!" She stated matter a factly. 

Rythian gave her a funny look, "You watch too many horror movies!" He laughed slightly. 

Nano straightened up, allowing herself to become serious, "Can you please get past your petty grudge of yours and try to get along with him for me?" She made puppy eyes to sweeten the deal. 

"And can you please break up with him? For me?" He mockingly paralleled her. 

"Excuse me! No! Listen I'll talk to him and prove you're wrong about him!” She said indefinitely as she walked out of the bathroom, leaving Rythian in utter frustration.


	3. Chapter Three: (Good) Old Fashioned Meddling and Scheming

It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon. The park in the center of town was filled to the brim with people and the sun set perfectly in the sky creating a nice warm ambience. 

Nano waited patiently for her boyfriend to show up. She had called him earlier requesting a meeting in the park, needing to discuss the occurrences of the previous night and her brother. 

"Hey, you wanted to talk to me about something?" Lalna greeted, almost scaring Nano by his surprise entrance.

"Oh, Lal, I'm glad you're here! And yes, I want to talk to you about last night? About why my brother acted the way he did!" 

"He did behave oddly around me didn't he? I mean everything was going just fine. He seemed like he liked me alright; then he suddenly acted like he couldn't stand me? Surely, there must be a reason for all of this?" 

She nodded, knowing that Lalna was in the dark about this like she was. She had to jog his memory, if she wanted answers regarding his side of the story. 

Nano spoke, "So I talked to Rythian, and apparently you and him had met before this?" 

"Huh?" Lalna was even more confused than he was previously, "How, I don't recall ever meeting him before last night? Surely, he must be mistaken?" 

Nano had to try another method then, "Do you remember the park, by my house? He said you met there? When you were younger, like what, thirteen, fourteen?" 

"Uh, I'm coming up with a blank; besides I could have met anyone there at that age and not remember them!"

She had to be more descriptive, "How about a playground castle?" Lalna was still not getting it quite yet as he just shrugged, "Remember, Rythian got burned there and Zoey broke her arm?" Nano spitted it outright, knowing he would never get it if she dragged it out any longer. 

Lalna was deep in thought, desperately trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together. His face then froze in horror. "Oh, shit!" He gasped with his hand to his mouth as panic seeped in his voice, "No, no, that means he is, I, oh god! I've fucked up. He must hate me, especially after what I did to him! I'm so screwed!" 

Nano stroked his shoulders and back, helping him to calm down and think properly again. Obliviously she got the answers she was looking for. "So that means you did it then?" She stated, happy to know that she was right to follow her instincts. She loved being right! 

"And I've regretted doing it for a long time!" He admitted. 

"Good, I was afraid I was going to having to pummel you if you didn't!" She gave a light hearted smile, before she punched him square in the shoulder. 

He winced, "Why did you do that for?" 

"And that is for bullying my brother!" She replied harshly. 

Lalna held his shoulder bracing the pain, "Alright, I deserved that! Geez, you hit hard!" He was both amazed and terrified of her strength. 

Nano snickered a bit then slid her fingers along side his making it so that they were holding hands. She then gently rested her head on his somewhat bruised shoulder. 

"I'm glad that you've changed!" 

 

\--

Lalna sat miserably and quietly in his room but not like he could go anywhere else anyway. He had been grounded; a sentence that was to last the whole summer. He had been caught setting arson to a shed with a bottle rocket and fireworks which gave him a month's worth of grounding. And since someone ratted him out on bullying that freak and his dumb girlfriend for months as well as being the one responsible for causing them great injuries, he had earned another two months grounding. 

He sat in his room very bored. All of his toys and electronics were taken away, leaving him with only books to read. Out of sheer boredom, he picked one of the books off the shelves. The book was about science. Curious as to what knowledge it held, he decided to read it. Suddenly, Lalna became fascinated with the world of science: machineries, chemicals, minerals, precious gems and metals, and most importantly astrology! 

His fascination snowballed into a passion, a passion that crushed all of his desires to cause pain and destruction; instead, he wanted to learn and create! He spent the majority of the duration of his punishment gaining any and every piece of knowledge on the various subjects, as well as setting up his own experiments. In a summer's time, he had grown from a mischievous miscreant to a advent scientist! His passion reformed his attitude to strive to become a better person and to outdo himself. 

Lalna had proven himself worthy enough for the honour of going to space camp, where he met his two best friends: Xephos and Honeydew! They were already established friends by the time he met them and shown themselves to be reliable partners in science, well Xephos anyway. Honeydew was there for moral support and occasionally to act as a guinea pig for different experiments, which he gladly volunteered. 

The future looked bright for Lalna. Having his horrible behaviour displaced with a burning passion for science, he vowed to pursue a better life for himself, and he was going to make it happen!

\--

 

A week after that fateful reunion, Lalna and Nano were hanging out again at her home, marking the second time he was at her house. 

They were comfortably sitting on the couch in the living watching a Sci-Fi movie, with Nano warmfully wrapping her arms around his arm. She felt a disturbance as her brother causally entered the room, fully knowing his stance on her dating Lalna. 

Rythian obnoxiously squeezed between them, causing the couple to awkwardly swarm to separate places on the couch. He stole the remote from the coffee table, quickly changing the channel to a Fantasy story instead.

"I hate Sci-Fi, I prefer Fantasy so much better!" He taunted, giving Lalna the stink eye. After realizing who he was, Lalna now acted nervous around Rythian, being aware he was walking on eggshells with him and anything he did could make his situation worse. 

"We were watching that!" Nano yelled angrily at him. 

Rythian ignored her and continued; "You know that you can break up with him at any time?" 

"In your dreams!" Nano got up from the couch and gestured Lalna to follow her into the kitchen. He hesitatingly cooperated, half-expecting Rythian to block his path; thankfully he didn't. Nano protectively grabbed Lalna and pulled him towards the kitchen, and away from Rythian. 

At least there in the kitchen they could find peace from Rythian's interference. Zoey was present, seemingly just getting off the phone with Fiona, "Goodbye, babe, see you later!" 

"Oh hey, Zoey, didn't see you come in!" Nano greeted, it was a pleasant surprise. 

Zoey smiled, "Yeah, I showed up about ten minutes ago, you probably didn't hear me over the TV?" 

Lalna refused to make eye contact with her, fearing her reaction to him would be similar to Rythian's. Zoey noticed this and spoke up, "Is everything alright? You seem nervous, Lalna?" 

"Me? No, no, I'm fine, everything's peachy!" He lied through his teeth, avoiding the topic. 

Nano figured she better help him out, sensing that Zoey would be their ally in this. "Lalna would like to speak to you about something, right?" 

"What?" Lalna whispered back to her, "Nano, please not now! It's too soon, too weird for now!" 

"Come on, Lal, you can trust Zoey, she is kind and sensible!" Nano convinced him, better sooner than later. 

"Yeah, you can talk to me! I'm a good listener!" 

"Fine!" Lalna huffed under his breath, "I want to talk to you about what happened, five years ago!" 

"Oh that!" Zoey beamed. 

"Uhm, yes, I'm so sorry for what had happened. I was a real jerk when I was younger! I'm sorry!" Lalna said uneasily, not certain of the outcome. 

Zoey grinned widely, "You are forgiven, besides everyone deserves a second chance! Even you!" 

Nano was impressed at how well it was going, "Hey, maybe we can go on a double date with you and Fiona? How does that sound?" She suggested. 

"That's perfect! I'm sure she would be glad to come!" 

"Excellent!" 

"Brilliant!" Lalna agreed. Thank goodness Zoey was so reasonable and forgiving; on the other hand, he felt that Rythian was going to be much harder to deal with.


	4. Chapter Four: Double Dates and A Change of Plans

The pizza parlor filled with the scent of fresh pizza, warm garlic bread, and sweet marinara sauce. Joy and excitement encompassed the restaurant as happy people stuffed their bellies with great pizza. 

The two couples sat in a booth together, with Lalna and Nano on one side and Fiona and Zoey opposite of them. The group had ordered a large pizza for them to share: one half was cheese, sausage, and pepperoni; a fourth was plain cheese; and the last quarter was a cheese and mushroom, order specifically for Zoey. Lalna and Fiona ate most of the pizza, while Zoey and Nano finished off whatever was left. 

"I've heard you know quite a lot about space? Zo and I are interested in that sort of thing! Maybe you can help us with a project we're working on?" 

"Sure, I could!" He agreed. 

"Cool, I'll message you if we have any questions?"

"No problem! So how long have you two been together? You two seem really close. I would have guessed maybe a over year?" Lalna asked, wanting to learn more about them.

"Two years actually!" Fiona answered. 

"Yeah," Zoey butted in, "I can't believe we’ve been together that long. Feels just like yesterday we became a couple!" 

"Well it beats our, what, almost a month!" Nano added. 

"Speaking of becoming a couple, I remember when I took a chance and asked Nano out on a date in the middle of chemistry class! Though, I didn't expect you to say yes." 

Nano smirked, "And why wouldn't I say yes, you big dummy!" 

"Maybe because you're awesome and beautiful, and I'm just a massive nerd?" 

"Aw, but Lalna, I wouldn't of said yes, if you weren't a massive nerd!" She jested as they laughed. 

"Oh, Fiona and I got together well, because I was too scared to ask her out so I asked Rythian to do it for me!" 

"It worked though!" She dove to give Zoey a peck on the lips, which she gratefully complied. 

"Augh, Rythian!" Nano whined exasperated, "I wish he would shut up about wanting me to break up with Lalna!" 

"Don't worry about it, he will probably warm up to me eventually?" Lalna reassured her. 

"Still doesn't make it right!" Nano stated, "So what if you bullied him a long time ago, doesn't mean he gets to be a jerk to you!" 

Lalna sighed, not sure how to reply to her. He wished to be able to agree with her, but in the back of his mind, he thought that Rythian behaved appropriately to him. He felt guilty for starting it all, and it would only make sense for Rythian to want to fight back. He figured he would apologize later anyway, if he could manage to convince Rythian to talk to him. Besides he could withstand Rythian hating him for a while. Too bad it sounds a lot easier in his head, first he had to gain enough confidence to talk to him one-on-one. 

He snuck a sip of Nano's grape soda, forgetting his dislike for the beverage. 

"Lalna, you hate grape soda!" 

Once he realized this, he hung his head in defeat. 

Nano patted him on the back to cheer him up. "You alright?" 

"Yeah, guess I was taken off guard!" 

 

Down in the makeshift lab underneath Xephos' house; Xephos, Lalna, and Honeydew were cleaning up after their latest experiment. 

"So how are things going with you and that Nano girl, that you're dating?" Xephos Blue asked wondering about his friend's relationship status. 

Lalna stifled a response, "It's been going well! I guess; we barely have any troubles so far! Though it has been only a month, so anything can happen really?" 

"No problems, huh?" Xephos debated, giving it away that he knew more than what Lalna had told him. 

He nodded, not wanting to discuss his current situation. He promised himself he could handled it on his own. Besides if he was able to work things out with Zoey, who says he couldn't deal with Rythian?

"Funny, because I heard that her brother has been giving you two trouble? Do you know anything about that?" 

Lalna froze, "How did you know that?" 

He smiled cockfully, "Lomadia! She willing told me that information."

Figured, if Xephos wanted information on anything, he would find a way to obtain it. Also the fact the Lomadia was Nano's best friend, makes it likely that Nano told Lomadia about the whole predicament. 

"Busted!" Honeydew Simon interrupted, laughing. 

"Also you are a terrible liar!" Xephos added, waiting for Lalna to spill the beans. 

"So you aware of my past then, before I met you guys?" 

"That you were a total asshole, yes we know!" Xephos replied. 

"Well I couldn't just introduce myself like, 'I used to be a bully, would you like to be friends,' then you wouldn't be friends with me." 

"True, so what are you going to do about the brother situation?" 

Lalna shrugged, "I'll wait it out for now, I mean he can't be mad at me forever. And I plan on making it up for bullying him, eventually; I just need more time. He doesn't necessarily want anything to do with me, so it is best to lie low for the time being." 

"Well you could always just break up with her.Wouldn’t that save you from all the trouble?" Honeydew suggested, though Lalna was not sure whether he had been serious or joking.

"You got to be kidding right? I can't just break up with Nano, she is worth all of this! A few ruined dates is not all that horrible. I know, I'll find a way through this, I have too!" Lalna set on keeping his relationship with Nano intact. 

"You must really like her then? If you're willing to put up with her brother like that!" 

Honeydew chirped, "You're a lover-boy, Lal!" 

"You could say that!" He said with a daydreamy look on his face as he thought of her. 

 

As Rythian exited the kitchen with his favourite food, a sandwich, he noticed Zoey texting on the couch, with whom he presumed was Fiona. 

"Are you texting her again?"

"Well she is my girlfriend, besides she's usually busy so I saviour any time I get with her!" She explained with a smile, her concentration not leaving the phone. 

"I guess," Rythian wasn't the one for romance, so he could hardly understand. 

"At least we were able to go on a double date, not that long ago! It was fun change of pace!" 

"Huh, with who?" Rythian questioned, prepared to take his first bite of his sandwich. 

Zoey nonchalantly replied, "Lalna and Nano!" Oops, she didn't mean to let that slip. 

Suddenly, Rythian no longer felt hungry anymore. "What did you say?" 

"Oh, nothing! Nothing about Lalna and Nano that's for sure!" Zoey spoke nervously. 

He didn't know if he should be shocked or outraged, "Zoey! How could you cohort with the enemy, you're supposed to be on my side!" 

Zoey explained, "I won't call him an enemy! He apologized to me and he said he changed, and then Nano invited us to a double date." 

"What did I tell you about the plan, plus he lied to you through his teeth. No way he'd changed!" 

"Well I thought my plan was better so I went with it instead! Mine worked too!" She admitted. 

"I don't believe it, you're making all of this up! This could never have happened!"

Zoey contradicted, "But it did happen, just because you believe he hasn't changed doesn't mean it isn't true!" 

He rolled his eyes, "Please, I know I'm right! You and Nano just need to wake up and realize how horrible he really is!" 

"Nano completely adores him, it is so nice to see her act all sweet like that! He has that effect on her!" 

"He probably put a magical love spell on her, or he is manipulating her and putting on a act!" 

"Or Lalna can legitimately care for her?" 

"Him capable of caring for anyone but himself, not possible! Nano should be thankful that I'm trying to save her from that monster." 

"Can you please leave them alone, he isn't doing anything to hurt you or anybody for that matter?" 

Rythian stated, "He did, and I want him gone and out of my life as soon as possible!" 

"But what if it turns out I'm right instead?" She dared. 

"Not likely!"


	5. Chapter Five: Disaster Dates and Angry Brothers

Up in Nano's room, her and Lalna were casually hanging out while sitting on her bed talking about various subjects. Thankfully it was a safe haven from Rythian, who had gotten more aggressive with his vendetta to break them up, thus upping the ante. 

"So is there anything you want to do?" Lalna asked innocently, not anticipating Nano's intentions. 

"Oh, I can think of one thing?" A look of passion on her face as she leaned in close to his face. 

"Uh," Nano leaned in closer to get her point across, "I see what you're saying!" He took her invitation, kissing her softly on the mouth, which she furthered by fiercely and firmly caressing his lips and then putting her arms on his shoulders to pull him closer. "You idiot!"

Lalna gently wrapped his arms around her waist, allowing a stable grip to balance out their motions. Nano tightened her grip on his shoulders and grabbed his shirt collar to lower him down to her level still fixated on kissing him. 

Following her lead, he pecked harder with an air of kindness in each touch. A sweet smile rose on her face as she became more entangled in him, and a quiet giggle exited his lips as he embraced her. They kept going on like this for several minutes until they were out of breathe and worn out. 

Their heart-beats raced heavily in their chest and minutes past by before they calmed down. Excited smiles plastered their faces as they agreed to continue what they previously started.

Nano planted a kiss on his lips as they reconfigured their position so that Lalna was now on top of Nano, but before they could continued the door slowly flung open and an abrasive hand gripped Lalna's shoulder. Lalna broke away from Nano, startled by the mysterious person who interrupted their fun. 

"What the hell?" She yelled sitting up as she met with their interrupter.

Rythian stood there over them as he assessed the situation, "What is the meaning of this?" A mean look in his eyes. 

Nano scuffed, "We were just making out, no big deal!" 

Lalna now sat far from her as he awkwardly rubbed his hand on the back of his head waiting for Rythian to make his move, expecting Rythian to lunge at him at any moment.

Rythian raised his voice, "You, leave now!" He instinctively grabbed Lalna's arm to pull him towards the door despite Lalna being much heavier than him. 

Lalna was dragged slightly and quickly got up, and clinged to the area by the door, where Rythian wanted him to be. "I guess, I'll be going now," fright entered his voice," I-I'll call you later then?" 

Rythian grunted at him, gesturing him to move much faster, "You're not leaving?" 

"Bye!" Lalna rushed out the room, not wanting to hang around Rythian any further. Nano was left alone in her room with Rythian. The thickening silence was broken by the noise of the front door being slammed shut.

Nano glared at Rythian, "I hate you!"

 

The skating rink was packed by the time Lalna and Nano got there, but they thought it was the perfect place for a date and as far away from Rythian as humanly possible. The building was lined with many lush plants to give a friendly environment to the cold structure, even if most of them were fake. 

Nano shivered, causing her to brush against Lalna for some warmth. "Lalna, I'm cold!" She complained. 

He took her in his arms protecting her from the cold, "You were the one who wanted to come here in the first place?" 

Nano stuck her tongue out at him, which he retorted by kissing her instead. 

"Come on, let's get our skates! This will be fun!" Nano escorted Lalna to the counter so they can purchase their skates. 

"I'm not sure about that? Plus I've never been ice skating before in my life, what if I fall and hurt myself?" 

"Then I would help you; I could teach you how to skate." She reasoned. 

After they got their skates and put them on, it wasn't long before they entered the skating rink. Nano was a natural and effortlessly glided across the ice, while Lalna struggled to keep his balance and clung to the rails; afraid to fall down on the ice. 

Nano noticed his struggle and reached out a hand to help him balance, and then she guided him across the ice. Her arms reached out in front of him with their hands held on to each other tight as she helped him to skate across the rink. He was big and clumsy in her grasp but she didn't mind as she carefully showed him how to properly skate. Lalna finally relaxed as he got the hang of it. He tripped and fell a few times but the couple quickly laughed it off, and Nano got back to teaching him again. 

After a half hour had past, Lalna and Nano were happily skating with their arms linked in tandem. However, their date was ruined once again as Nano spotted Rythian out of the corner of her eye, thank god Zoey had tagged along with him. 

"How did he find us?" Lalna questioned. 

Nano fumed, "I don't know, this is like the tenth time that he’s done this!" She had hoped this was the last time but knowing Rythian he wouldn't stop until he had met his goal. 

"Come on, let's hide; he can't do anything if he doesn't see us!" Nano pulled them to the far side of the rink and concealed their location from Rythian by utilizing the heavy crowd. 

Rythian searched for any sign of them but grew frustrated as his search proved fruitless. 

"You're not trying to destroy their date, are you?" Zoey interrogated as she had managed to spot them. 

Rythian remained silent while he searched further before quickly following Zoey's line of sight. 

"Rythian, I've told you to leave them alone! Let them enjoy their time together, don't you want your sister to be happy?" 

He finally spoke, "Not with him! If she would have dated anyone else, I would’ve been fine with it! But she had to date him off all of people. It is only right for me to stop them!" 

Zoey had a dreamy look as she watched them, "They kind of remind me of Fiona and me when we first started to date! I was so shy at first, though she still makes me nervous, in a good way! Lalna seems to act the same way around Nano, I bet he really likes her; I can tell!"

Rythian shifted his eyes, "Listen you may have fallen for his act, but I'm too strong-willed to be fooled for a second time by him. I'll have to just expose his true colours and then Nano would dump him for sure, if she doesn't kill him first!" 

"Can't you see how adorable and happy they are together, I bet if you gave Lalna a chance then you'll change your mind?" 

"He doesn't deserve a second chance, people like him don't ever change!" 

Zoey went over to buy herself and Rythian a cup of hot chocolate and then came back and handed the hot styrofoam cup to him. 

"So do you ever think of dating anyone, you know either Fiona or I can help you out?" She questioned, knowing it was best to change the subject. 

Rythian sighed, "No thanks, I'm more of a lone-wolf kind of guy anyway!" 

"Alright! Well once I'm finished with this, I'm gonna go skating. Are you going to join me?" 

"No you go on ahead, go have fun! I'll just stay here and watch!" He said as he took another sip of his warm drink. 

Zoey left to go get a pair of skates, while Rythian still kept on eye on Lalna and Nano. After hours passed they were more than ready to leave, which meant that Lalna and Nano had to think of an elaborate plan to escape without being caught by Rythian.

This ended up with Lalna being stuck in the bathroom, as Nano scouted out the place, praying for Rythian to just leave. However, Rythian wouldn’t budge leaving Nano with no other choice but to confront him in order to get him to head out. She told Rythian a lie about Lalna leaving before her but that meant she had to leave with Rythian and Zoey instead. Shortly after Lalna left since they were all gone once he finally had gotten a call from Nano about the change of plans. 

They had to be more sneaky next time, if they didn't want Rythian to ruin anymore of their dates. 

 

Due to the horrible result of their last date, Lalna and Nano took some extra precautions before each date from then on, always making sure to be cautious of Rythian if he did manage to find them, which ended up with them hiding until he left. Over the next week or so they had only accumulated a few dates since many were cut short because of Rythian's interference, mainly not wanting to deal with Rythian's growing anger. 

For this next date, they decided on going to the movies for a change and picked whatever film sounded decently good. Lalna and Nano had a wonderful time, with them laughing wildly on the funny scenes and an enjoyable enough story for them to get into. Everything was great and with no sign of Rythian, they thought they could finally have a date that didn't get ruined in a long while. 

As they exited the theatre still excited from the movie, to their surprise, they bumped into an unsuspected visitor, who had waited for them to come out. 

"Rythian! What the hell are you doing here!" Nano screamed at him, her small frame quickly filling with rage as she grew more impatient with her brother's constant intrusions. 

Rythian held his ground as he stood there unmoving, "And why the hell are you still dating this-," he passively gestured to Lalna, "this? Chump, idiot, I don't know a complete vile Jack-wit of a human being?" 

Nano tip-toed towards him, her anger ever-present, "Excuse me! Who gave you the authority on who I can and can't date? Just cause you're too stubbornly stuck in the past, doesn't make any, and I mean any of what you're doing okay? If you just open your eyes and realized he is a changed person after what five years, then you would know how stupid you’re being?" 

"How about I don't and you just break up with him!" his frustration slowly surfacing, "Then you'll see how right I am and we can forget that this ever happen. So Nano what is your decision?"

"Fuck that, just leave us alone! I'm so tired of dealing with you. I want to date my boyfriend in goddamn peace! Is that so hard for you to understand?" 

Lalna felt vulnerable standing there behind Nano. He wanted to stop their arguing or at least Nano from angering Rythian further. But he thought it was best to stay out of it, knowing he had no way of ending it. While Lalna debated on how to respond, Nano shielded him from Rythian, wanting to protect him at all cost. 

Rythian's anger now matched her's as he clutched his fist, "Just leave him already; I'm trying to save you from him!" 

"Save me? By being an absolute jerk, good luck saving me from a threat that doesn't exist!" 

In his fury he grabbed Nano and pull her closer to him, "You're going back home with me, you are not to leave with him!" 

Nano broke free from his grip in a split-second of fear, and hesitantly placed her hand on Lalna's arm. She felt at ease with his touch, and then grabbed his arm tightly and dashed out of the building with him back to his car and away from Rythian's wrath. They expected him to follow, but he stayed where he was not bothering to chase them. 

Once in the car, a wave of relief had washed over Lalna. That was the first time he had seen Rythian get that angry, and it was all because of him. He caused Rythian to be this aggressive, all because of what he did to him years ago and yet he still desired to want to continue to date Nano despite all of this. 

His train of thought was broken as he heard a faint noise that came from Nano, no doubt. He looked over to her and saw her head was down as she covered her eyes. She was crying! It shocked Lalna this was the first time he ever saw her cry, while in a serious situation. 

"Hey-hey, I'm here!" He swooped her in his arms letting her cry into his chest, "What's a matter?" He gently patted her back to keep her feeling safe and warm. 

"Why does he have to be such a jerk, why can't he see how much you changed?" She admitted face full of tears, "I know you're a good guy, you're so good to me!" 

He eased her closer as he hugged her tighter, wishing to free her from her pain. "I'm here, everything's going to be okay!" He repeated trying his best to comfort her. 

Tears still rushed from her face as she sank deeper into his chest, "Thank you, thank you for being you!" 

She continued to cry in his arms until she was able to calm down before they left the parking lot. 

 

\--

Rythian thought that the first attack was the last he would see of his attacker, sadly he had been wrong. A similar attack happened a few days afterwards and he only got more relentless as time went on. Rocks were only the beginning as Lalna found whatever projectiles he could to terrorize them, any that would do them any damage or harm. The attacks became more and more frequent as days turn into weeks, which quickly turned into three months. 

Zoey and Rythian weren't safe from the menace of Lalna as they tried their best to defend themselves with the playground castle. But Lalna posted too much of a threat to them, causing them to retreat to any means of hiding from the bully. 

As the threats went on, Zoey and Rythian's feeling for each other developed as they saw each as more than best friends. The threat of Lalna had brought them closer together as the months passed. Zoey was the first to fall for Rythian, being aware of the soft side underneath his usual gruff behaviour. Rythian followed soon after growing very fond of Zoey's bright optimistic attitude. Both of them feared,however, ruining their friendship with their new found interest in each other. 

Out of nowhere, Lalna suddenly stopped his daily attacks and they believed it was the end of the relentless onslaught, though they didn't realized at the time that it was just the calm before the storm. 

\--

 

At the mall, Lalna and Xephos were out shopping looking causally through various stores, and buying anything that caught their interest. But Lalna had an ulterior reason as to why he wanted to be there, especially after the hectic month he had with Rythian's constant strain on his and Nano's relationship. He wanted to do something nice for the both of them to compensate for the lack of successful dates and time together, which is why he searched the whole mall to find the perfect gift to give Nano.

It took nearly hours of searching before he had found what he was looking for, "This is it! Nano would love this, it's the best present for her!" Lalna eagerly purchased the item, not wanting to wait another moment to give it to Nano. 

"So you finally found the perfect gift, huh?" Xephos stated, amused by his friend's excitement. 

Lalna smiled widely, "It is perfect, she'll be so happy when I give it to her, Xeph!" 

Lalna knew his gift also included the special plans he had for him and Nano that would make up for what Rythian had done to them, or he hoped that would be the case. He sincerely hoped that after everything they had been through that fate would work in his favour and that Rythian would cease trying to break them up. 

He hoped at least.


	6. Chapter Six: The Perfect Date (and Last Resorts)

The zoo was only their first stop of Lalna's special date plans that was all leading up to him presenting Nano with her surprise gift. He knew that he had to wait until the perfect moment arose to give it to her and that the zoo wasn't it. He had the perfect place in mind that he planned to visit later in the night as the last stop but before that happened he wanted to spend a pleasant evening with her.

Lalna needed everything to be perfect, and any interference from Rythian would ruin the chance for the perfect date. So extra precautions against Rythian's meddling were taken for the special plans which included them both coming in separate cars and Nano having to borrow Lomadia's cellphone for the day. Rythian was the last person they wanted to think of right now, and it was a blessing that he had not interrupted their date yet, and they hoped it would stay that way.

Nano excitedly explored the zoo while she eagerly gawked over the cute and fuzzy creatures that were at display. Nano's love of a animals made the zoo a great place for her because it allowed her to squeal at the adorableness of the amazing creatures while Lalna raved about various facts regarding each animal. Lalna enjoyed seeing Nano like this. She was simultaneously adorable and hilarious when she acted like that,which caused him to both blush and laugh. 

When they got to the ram pen, Nano insisted on naming them and they were subsequently named: Ramsey, Patrick Stewart, and Mickey. As they made their way through the zoo, Nano ended up naming any animal she came across resulting in almost all of the animals being named by her. They were about done, but at one of the last stops was the penguin exhibit where Nano let out an ear-piercing screech because of an adorable penguin she dubbed 'Billy.' However, Lalna had been unfazed by the noise she made and smiled along with her. 

After they finished visiting the zoo, the next location that was planned had been a semi-fancy restaurant, and thankfully they didn't smell too bad from hanging around filthy animals all day. The restaurant was quaint enough with it's dim lighting and elegant interior. Lalna and Nano ate their share of craftily cooked soups, salads, bread sticks, and grilled meats enjoying their meals while they were in deep conversation. They had completely forgotten about Rythian at this point as they stuffed their stomachs with fancy foods. 

Now came time for the big surprise and Lalna had set the perfect venue to finally give her the long awaited gift. He had picked the observatory as the perfect place for the occasion; what’s more romantic than spending the rest of the night under the stars? 

As they entered the observatory, the bright shine of the enlarged stars reflected off the spacious marble floor of the observatory's main plaza. 

"Wow, this is so beautiful, Lal!" Nano gazed impressed by the lovely scenery of the night sky. 

Lalna beamed enthusiastically at her as he took her hand in his to draw her closer, "Oh, it certainly is!" For the next thirty minutes onwards, Lalna stargazed with Nano as he informally identified each major star, constellation, galaxy and planet that he could recognize with Nano's full attention on him.

"Geez, no wonder you love sciencey stuff so much, it's just so darn amazing!" 

"Not as amazing as you?" Lalna casually slipped out, not caring if she heard it. It was the truth anyway. 

Nano playfully punched him in the arm before leading him into a light kiss on the lips. "You're such a dork." They laughed. 

"Well, it is true! You're truly amazing!" 

"Lalna you give me too much credit, besides you're pretty awesome too! Though you're right, for once!" They continued to laugh and poke fun at each other before stargazing again. 

The way the night stars illuminated the sky gave a magical feeling to everything surrounding the area causing all of their problems to melt away as they became more enchanted with the glow of the stars. The full moon set in the dead center of the dark sky, showering Lalna and Nano in it's light like a shield protecting them from any harm that would come to them. The whole world felt at peace at that moment. 

Lalna knew it was the perfect time to bestow the gift that he waited for a week to give her, now was the chance. Lalna fiddled with his front jean pocket as he tried to find the box where the gift was packaged in. Once he found it, he quickly straightened himself up. 

"Now you're probably wondering why I brought you here," Lalna held the box tight as he explained his reasons for the special plans. 

"Well you said that you planned a special day for the two of us but you were pretty vague about the rest of it! But I got to admit, you really know how to plan out dates! I'm impressed!" Nano answered. 

"And there is a reason for that, as you may realize we having been dating for three months now. With today being our third month anniversary, I wanted to do something special to celebrate it!" 

"Go on." Nano requested interested in what more he had to say. 

"Listen I know we had a rough start at first with Rythian trying to force us to separate and for months he has been making so much trouble for us. But despite all the horrible things he put us through, I still want to be with you, no matter what he says about me or about us being together!" 

"Forget about Rythian, I just want one night where I don't have to deal with him!" Nano stated in frustration.

"Which is why I planned this night out for the both of us," he continued as knew he was getting closer to give her the gift, "all of this is for us and I wanted to make the most out of it as we can! I know I'm kind of rambling on like an idiot but I desire to create the perfect night for us to enjoy not having to worry about anything! Just us spending a magnificent time together with everything going our way for once," 

Nano interrupted him, "Lalna get to the point already, you're rambling!" 

"Oh right, sorry, well the whole time I’ve been planning this I had bought you something that you might like, now close your eyes as I show it to you! It's a surprise!" 

"A surprise, I like surprises!" Nano covered her eyes with hands resisting the urge to peek. 

Lalna carefully took out the jewelry box from his pocket then he displayed the closed box in front of her as he placed his hand on the lid ready to open it, "Now open your eyes!" 

She followed as the box appeared at the forefront of her vision, Nano’s eyes grew large with excitement, "So what's in the box?" She asked cutely waiting eagerly to see her present. 

"Here I want you to have this!" He grinned as he gently took off the top of the box slowly revealing its contents:

A sapphire necklace. 

"Lalna, it's perfect!" Nano felt herself cry tears of joy as she pulled him into a big hug as her emotions overcame her. 

"Anything for you!" He held her tight before breaking away the hug in order to put the necklace on her. 

The blue-coloured gem glistened beautifully against the moon making Nano look like a goddess as stars danced on her skin. Lalna was amazed at how beautiful she appeared causing him to pull her into another hug as he did so the stars danced on his skin while in Nano's presence. He thoughtfully kissed Nano's forehead thinking that it was the perfect end to the perfect night with perfect girl as he savoured the moment with her. 

Everything was perfect and they wished that it would last forever as the moon and stars engulfed them in the guarding light. 

 

Later on that week, Lalna frightened shifted nervously as he was sitting on the couch at Nano's house, not wanting to have another run in with Rythian. It had been the first time in a few weeks or maybe a month since they had decided to hang out together at her house, primarily choosing to go to Lalna's house instead to avoid Rythian at all cost. 

Lalna acted if nothing was bothering him so that Nano wouldn't ask any questions about his odd behaviour as of late. He had started acting this way after the incident with Rythian at the movie theatre less than a month ago. Even before then he felt uneasy around Rythian but now his influence had penetrated his thoughts causing him to be paranoid of Rythian. Lalna purposely concealed the fact that the pressure Rythian put on them had slowly gotten to him which added to his growing guilt. He figured it was best to keep a secret for now, so he hid it from Nano not wanting her to worry. 

Sooner or later though Rythian would come at any moment, wanting to cause trouble, and Lalna wasn't prepared to deal with that again. Lalna distracted himself from his worrying thoughts by staying focused on Nano, and he cherished being able to call her his girlfriend. Nano unknowingly calmed him down enough to dismiss any threat of Rythian interrupting them. 

As time went on, Lalna and Nano joyfully hung out with them watching a few TV shows together and enjoying each other's company. Lalna had finally believed that maybe good luck had come his way and that Rythian had given up on his mission. 

Unbeknownst to Lalna, Nano had caught a glimpse of Rythian manning the stairs that lead to the living room. Nano resisted the urge to call Rythian out off his watchful hiding place but schemed up a better plan to get back at her brother for his nosy spying.

Nano might as well have a little amusement while she fought against Rythian's devious intentions, so she suggested to Lalna about wanting to make out with him. Gladly he agreed, which then caused Nano to eagerly kiss Lalna, enjoying the warmth of her boyfriend; while mischievously causing Rythian discomfort at their show of affection. 

Rythian made no attempt to stop them but instead waited until they were finished smooching. Nano pulled away from Lalna as she was satisfied with her plans, she glanced up at Rythian with a cheeky smile on her face. Nano boosted a smug look knowing she had won this round hoping to force Rythian to back off from interfering further. 

Lalna shook the daydream feeling he had experienced from making out with Nano before cowing as he realized that Rythian had been watching them, was he there the whole time? Panicked thoughts entered Lalna's mind as he scrounged up any explanation for Nano's actions, had she used him to get revenge on Rythian? Did Nano still want to be with him? Or is Nano just using him to make Rythian angry the whole time they had been dating? Did Nano no longer feel the same way about him as he did for her? Lalna forced himself to stop thinking those toxic thoughts, knowing it would be no good for him to cloud up his mind with these falsehoods. 

Nano got up from the couch to combat Rythian head on as she fearlessly walked on to Rythian ready to face the challenge before her. "So Rythian can we forget that this all happened and you can quietly stop trying to break Lalna and me up? Maybe we can have a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter marathon to make you feel better after your defeat?" 

Lalna admired Nano's bravery and strength, she was able to confront Rythian with little to no problem and her stubborn will didn't allow Rythian to wilter her down by his intimidation methods. It made Lalna at ease knowing Nano would fight for them to be together even if he couldn't fight for them like she did without worsening the situation.

"Don't be so cocky, Nano, in time you will realize how right I am and you will be begging me to forgive you for dating him? Do I even need to say it this time?" Rythian's calm demeanor was a big departure from his angry outburst that were apparent from the previous month, maybe he got tired of hounding them down? 

Nano didn't seem to worry about his reply, "Rythian just give up already, have you not realized that you are failing at breaking us up?"

"Just you wait Nano, no way can you hold out for this long? You'll see it my way soon enough!" Rythian peacefully left his place on the stairs and most likely headed back towards his room. 

"Doubt it!"

Nano returned to her seat on the couch not caring what Rythian had said in the slightest, though for Lalna it just caused him to become more worried about Rythian's meddling. A sinking feeling hit Lalna as he concluded that Rythian needed to be dealt with soon or it would risk him causing further harm to either him or Nano. Unfortunately Lalna was dumbfounded on how he would solve his problem regarding Rythian, maybe he would think of a solution later? 

As for now he just wanted to spend some time with Nano.

 

Lalna sat in his house as he hung out with Xephos and Honeydew like they usually did on the weekends. It was obvious at this point that Lalna's stress had gotten to him as he spent all week trying to come up with any viable solution as to stop Rythian from continuing his plan to break up him and Nano. Ironically, the only means Lalna found to resolve it was to break up with Nano himself, and that was exactly what Rythian wanted to happen. There had to be another way of dealing with Rythian but how?

Xephos and Honeydew quickly took noticed of Lalna's worrying behaviour, well aware that something was a matter with their friend. They both looked concerned for Lalna but they frantically argued between them to see if they should ask Lalna about what was causing him to act the way he did. 

Xephos decided to ask him anyway knowing Lalna would confide in them if it was a serious problem. "Lalna, is something stressing you out, friend? You seem rather down in the dumps, what's going on?" 

Lalna stayed quiet as he collected his thoughts debating whether or not to tell them of the pressing threat that Rythian posed to him and Nano's relationship and himself for that matter. He had to tell them, maybe they could help him come up with a better solution than he currently had. 

"It is about Nano?" Thankfully Xephos had figured it out before he could say anything as it made Lalna feel less stressed. 

"Kind of? I-I" Lalna paused, "I'm thinking of breaking up with her?" He swallowed hard as he uttered the words he hoped he would never say. 

"Break up with her? But aren't you completely gaga over her, you even dragged me along to help you get that sapphire necklace for her? What caused you to change your mind like this?"

Lalna sighed, "I don't know? The worse part is I still want to be with her, it is just I don't think I could handle Rythian anymore? It is so much harder now to keep continuing dating Nano without letting him get to me! What can I do now, I'm all out of solutions?" 

Xephos took a second to think of an answer to all of Lalna's problems, once he figured it out he spoke, "You said you bullied Rythian in the past?"

Lalna nodded. 

"You could always apologize to him?" 

"How could I forget that I've planned on doing that from the very beginning? How can I be so stupid as to forget about something like that, all this stress is making my mind act weird?" 

"Guess you're not breaking up with your girl then?" Honeydew added cheerfully. 

Relief filled Lalna's spirit as he rushed over to give Xephos a hug to thank him for his help as hope and joy took over his body. "You're a genius, Xeph! I just need to apologize to Rythian and then everything will work out!" 

Xephos didn't expect the hug but patted Lalna's back to reciprocate the affection, "You're welcome, and yes, I'm a genius!" He loved the compliment. 

"All you need to do is not bugger it up!" Honeydew replied. 

Lalna certainly felt better about the situation now that he had a plan that didn't require having to break up with Nano. Lalna just had to put is plan into action, it amazed him how long he put off his plan to apologize to Rythian and it seemed like he had to act soon or risk losing Nano. Lalna gained back the hope that everything would work out for him and Nano in the end. Everything would finally go his way, and only thing he had to was apologize to Rythian to achieve this.

"What could possibly go wrong?"


	7. Chapter Seven: The Final Showdown

Throughout the next week, Lalna slowly gained the confidence to face Rythian in order to finally apologize to him. Lalna planned on speaking to Rythian soon but he wanted to talk to Nano about it before hand for an extra confidence boost. 

Lalna desperately wanted to tell Nano everything that been happening to him lately, all of his doubts and insecurities about the whole situation, but he fought against it. No need to make her worry, besides Lalna was sure he could handle Rythian by himself. Lalna figured everything would turn out smoothly and all of his bad feelings about this would dissolve. 

Lalna and Nano sat on the couch at Lalna's house casually hanging out as per usual, playing video games together. 

"So I was planning on apologizing to Rythian soon?" Lalna asked nervously, hoping to get some reassurance from Nano. 

"Really, you are! That's great! Maybe Rythian would quit it after you tell him?" Nano seemed so supportive that Lalna felt a little guilty keeping secrets from her. 

Lalna quickly shook the feeling off as he continued, "That's the plan, hopefully?" 

Nano cuddled closer to Lalna, "Oh, would you stop doubting yourself, I'm certain he will forgive you!" She was so sure of herself.

Lalna held Nano tighter feeling like he could take on the world with her at his side, "If you say so, but I'm still nervous about the whole thing!" 

Nano kissed his cheek, "Don't be, I know you'll do great!" 

Lalna playfully mirrored her but instead gave a wet, sloppy kiss causing her to push away from him in fake disgust. "Lalna, you're such a slob!" She joked. 

"But you still like me, anyway?" He teased. 

"That's debatable!" She said as she returned to her previous position in his arms. 

Lalna felt more confident and willing to face Rythian as he knew everything in the end would be okay!

 

A few days past Lalna decided it was finally time to confront Rythian, hoping it would resolve the issues that been plaguing him for the majority of the last three months. Finally Rythian would see he had changed and know he was no longer the bully from five years ago, while most importantly he would stop tampering with his and Nano's relationship. It was a chance to start over and bring in a new beginning where he could date Nano in peace and maybe he and Rythian could finally get along. All Lalna had to do was apologize to Rythian and all this senseless fighting will be over. 

Lalna sat anxiously in his car while outside of Nano's house, now that he was putting his plan into action his confidence plummeted immensely. Lalna reasoned with himself that he had to go through with it or that if he didn't then it would risk him and Nano potentially breaking up because of Rythian. 

He had to do it, he just had too! He couldn't dream of losing Nano, no he had to do it!

Lalna took a deep breathe while he rehearsed what he was going to say to Rythian in his head, as he finally felt confident enough to talk to Rythian. He nervously stepped out of car and through the cold night air to the front door. He took another breath before he willed himself to knock on the door. 

Few minutes passed in silence, Lalna felt sweat drip from his forehead to his nose, hearing only his staggered breathing. As there was no answer, Lalna contemplated leaving and to try again another time; maybe this wasn't the right time. Before he could think of fleeing, the door handle rotated in what seemed to be slow motion, and then suddenly the front door flashed open. 

Conveniently it was Rythian who had opened the door; however, the shock still left Lalna petrified as he stood right in front of him. 

"Hello, who's there-Oh it's you!" Rythian motioned to slam the door, but he paused just short of closing it, "What are doing here anyways? Nano is not here, she is out with Lomadia!" 

"I-I know!" Lalna struggled to speak. "I-I want-ted to-I came to talk to you!" 

It took Rythian a second before he processed what was going on, as he was a little shocked by his request. Rythian decided to continue to slam the door not wanting anything to do with Lalna. But Lalna had other ideas as he quickly put his foot in between Rythian and the closing door thus wedging it slightly open. He had to do this. 

"Leave!" Rythian hissed. 

"Pl-Please! Just give me a chance, I'll explain myself." Lalna nearly begged. 

Rythian sighed, clearly Lalna wasn't going away anytime soon might as well hear what he had to say, "Fine, I'll let you talk but if you say anything remotely offensive I won't hesitate to kick you out of my house!" 

Lalna nodded as he was let into the house, glad that the hardest part was done. 

Rythian lead Lalna to the dining room making sure to keep a safe distance away from Lalna, just in case he tried to pull anything funny. Once there, Rythian stood on the far end of the room with Lalna on the other end by the entrance. The dining table separated the two in a standoff as the thick silence remained for a few minutes before either of them willingly spoke. 

"Listen the reason I wanted to spe-" Lalna had been cut off by Rythian. 

"No! You listen to me and you listen to me good!" Rythian yelled deliberately taking charge of the situation, "Now tell me why are you here and it better be a good reason?" 

Lalna shifted, "I-I want to talk about what had been happening for the past three months concerning me and Nano." 

"Go on." Rythian had become intrigued with the mention of his sister. 

"Well, I came here to resolve any of the issues we had with you regarding you trying to break us up. I think we can come up with a compromise that would get you to stop doing that?" Lalna held off on the apology as he wanted to get on Rythian's good side first. 

"And what makes you think I'll stop?" Rythian crossed his arms. 

A smile grew on Lalna's face as he realized it was the time to apologize to him, "Listen the main reason I'm here is to say that-that I'm sorry for what I had done to you years ago-" 

Rythian cut him off again, "No, I refuse to let you off the easy way, I'm not going to forgive you for what you did!" 

Lalna froze.

Rythian released his anger as he threw his long purple scarf off his face and clutched it tight in his fist, "See what you have done to me! You had hurt me and my best friend, you had not suffered like I did!" 

This was the first time Lalna had seen his burns, the burns that he had given to him, which made a rush of guilt flood Lalna's mind. He didn't know he caused Rythian this much pain and he didn't realize how bad the burns were until he saw them first hand. 

"I'm so sorry about that, I know I was a jerk to you in the past but I had grown past that! I'm willing to move on past our issues to make peace with each other, if you're willing?"

Calming down, Rythian fastened his scarf back on as he waited for Lalna to continue to speak.

"Please forgive me for what I did, I regret it to this day, and I didn't mean to cause all of this! I'm truly sorry! I just want to be with Nano, I care so much for her, and I don't want her to worry about this anymore! I don't want to have to break up with her!" 

Rythian studied Lalna carefully before he made his next move, he knew he had the upperhand and Lalna was weak, which meant he could be easily taken care off. An idea popped in his head, if he couldn't get Nano to break up with Lalna then he would make Lalna...yes.

A smirk spread across Rythian's face, "I'll forgive you, but only if you break up with Nano? And if you refuse to then I'll just have to find another way to get rid of you!" Rythian threatened knowing he had got Lalna right where he wanted him. 

"Wait, what?" Lalna felt his heart break. This wasn't not suppose to happen, everything was going sour fast and Lalna knew he had to leave soon. 

"You heard me!" Rythian knew he had won. Happiness overwhelmed Rythian as he accomplished defeating the evil in front of him. 

Lalna’s still body suddenly jolted out of the room and out of the house, all of his emotions were taking over in that single moment. Once he was back safe in his car, Lalna scrambled to find a solution to his new problem. 

Rythian didn't give him a choice of staying with Nano, he had to either break up with Nano or Rythian would find worst ideas to break them up. Everything had gone all wrong, there was no way out of this. If he let Rythian continue, then his and Nano's relationship would surely crumble beneath him and he didn't want that to happen. But what other option did he have; the easiest solution had been something he dreaded doing. He had to break up with Nano. There was no way around it, because he knew it would only get worse if he refused to listen to Rythian. That was the only way to set things right. That was it … Rythian had won. 

A small tear shed from Lalna's eyes as he called up Xephos on his phone, "Hey, Xeph, things didn't go so well." Lalna finished up his conversation with Xephos before he drove off, knowing that his final decision had been made.

 

\--

Rythian was atop of the playground castle while obviously scouting for that big bully Lalna, who remained absent for the following week, causing Rythian to be paranoid of his bully's upcoming plans that he knew were nearing soon. Eventually Lalna would show his face and he would certainly continue to cause trouble for them once again. 

Zoey causally sat on a level below Rythian, paying no mind to the possibility of the inevitable danger of Lalna; instead, she was off daydreaming in her own world. 

Out in the distance, Rythian noticed the all too familiar blonde hair of his attacker, and he quickly alerted Zoey of Lalna's presences which caused her to snap out of her daydream. She followed behind Rythian to the highest level of the playground castle for safety against any of his upcoming attacks. 

"Lalna, come out hiding and face us or are you too much of a coward?" Rythian yelled hoping to alarm Lalna out of his hiding place amongst the grove of trees. 

Lalna slowly emerged from the tree line with a menacing smirk on his face and his hands behind his back clearly hiding something. "Oh, do I got a surprise for you two losers!" Lalna didn't care to learn their names at all it seems. 

"Oh really now, I'm so scared!" Rythian taunted wanting to egg Lalna on. 

"Rythian, I don't think it's a good idea to make him mad?" Zoey warned him as she was scared of what was to come. 

"Don't worry Zoey, I can handle it!" Rythian said confidently causing her to calm down a bit. 

Lalna had set up his array of fireworks and bottle rockets that were camouflaged behind the trees without them knowing as they were distracted with their conversation. Soon he disappeared to go ignite them all off which caused a flurry of explosives to fly from the trees and towards the playground castle to it's intended targets. 

Lalna laughed spitefully as a wave of hot sparks had flown past Zoey and Rythian at break-neck speed, while they tried desperately to avoid the attack. The fireworks flew past Zoey causing her to panic as she avoided them. She screamed as she lost her balance and flung off the edge of the top of the playground castle, and then a sharp thud was heard as she hit the pebbly ground below. Meanwhile a lonely spark landed on top of Rythian's thin black scarf, causing the fabric to quickly set on fire. Rythian soon felt his face burning as the scarf was engulfed in flames before discarding it on the ground. 

"Zoey!" 

"I'm okay! I think?" Zoey shouted to him before she moved, which made her realize that she couldn't feel her left arm, assuming it was broken. "Nevermind, my arms broken!" 

Rythian's scarfless, charred face made him feel like he was suffocating but despite that he managed to get his phone out to call his parents to come get him and Zoey to safety and to help with their injuries. 

Once Lalna knew his job had been completed he ran away from the park, and Rythian had thought that he had seen the last of Lalna for a long while.

About thirty minutes went by before Rythian's parents showed up in their minivan, Rythian's dad had carried Zoey into the vehicle since she was too numb by the pain for her to move on her own while Rythian's mom escorted her son to the vehicle. A cold rag was placed on Rythian's face by his mom to temporarily relieve him of the pain of the new formed burns on his jaw, causing a stinging feeling to travel throughout his face. His dad was quick on his way to the hospital to get professional help for their injuries while his mom was in the back seats with Rythian and Zoey to take care of them on the way. 

Rythian's little sister Nano sat in the passenger seat with a pissed off look on her face as she witnessed their injuries, "I swear to god, Rythian, once I find the guy who did this to you guys, I'm gonna smash him right up for you! Nobody messes with my older brother and gets away with it!" She smirked widely as she was ready to beat their attacker up on the spot. 

Rythian swore he would get his vengeance on Lalna the next time he saw him; he would pay for what he had done to them. 

\--


	8. Chapter Eight: The Break Up

A week later, Lalna still contemplated whether or not to go through with breaking up with Nano but he knew he had to do it anyway no matter how much he protested. How could everything go so wrong so quickly, how could Lalna be so stupid as to allow Rythian to win but there was no way he could stop him. Rythian would of won sooner or later he figured, and now all that was left to do was for Lalna to fulfill Rythian's wish.

Lalna and Nano went to the pier for a lovely date as they had walked the beach front soaking their bare feet in the ocean and squishing their feet in the sand earlier in the afternoon. Later they had walked the pier while they consumed various junk foods that the street vendors sold before the day slowly turned into night and the allure of stars caught their eyes. 

They decide on stargazing on the boardwalk by the docks being drawn by the lights reflecting off the wide ocean as they viewed the stars, creating a romantic scene. The moonlight's guarding presence shined as Lalna and Nano held hands and Nano's head rested sweetly on Lalna's shoulder while they swayed in rhythm with the tidal waves. 

"This night is so beautiful, Lal!" Nano said as she eyed Lalna lovingly. 

Lalna didn't respond as his stomach turned violently while he thought of what he had to do, knowing he planned on breaking up with Nano tonight. 

Nano kissed Lalna dearly as Lalna savoured the kiss, fully knowing it might be their last. 

"Lalna, are you alright? You seem worried about something, you're not acting like yourself." Nano questioned worryingly, now facing him as she broke their embrace.

"No, I'm alright! Just fine, I'm probably getting a cold that's all?" Lalna lied nervously. 

"Are you sure? Lalna is there something you're not telling me, I'm starting to get worried about you?" Nano's voice grew in concern as she spoke, making it harder for Lalna to tell the truth.

Because Lalna choked on his words everytime he attempted to talk, Nano continued to steer the conversation knowing something was obviously wrong. "Lalna, please tell me what is going on, I'm your girlfriend you can tell me anything, right?" 

"I-I..."

"Please, Lal?" Nano pleaded as her voice cracked. 

"I think we should break up!?" Lalna admittedly yelled in frustration as tears appeared since he could no longer stand the pain of hurting her any further with his secrets.

"What?" 

"I think we should break up!" Lalna repeated in a solemn and sadden tone while Nano stared at him with a hurt and confused expression on her face.

"Lalna, what is going on? Why are you doing this?" Tears now rolled down Nano's eyes as Lalna broke the embrace of their hearts.

"I'm sorry, I-I think it best if we break up anyway, besides we are better off this way!" Lalna reasoned more to himself than Nano. 

"Better off? Where is this coming from, surely you don't mean this? Don't you love me?" Nano cried. 

"I do! Listen, I don't want to do this anymore than you do but trust me that it is for the best!" 

"Then why are you going through with this?" She yelled angrily. 

"Because I have too!" 

"Why?" Pausing to think, Nano then realized that Lalna never told her the outcome of his apology to Rythian, making it easy for clever girl to put two and two together. "What did Rythian tell you?" 

Lalna sighed knowing he had to come clean with her, "He told me to break with you or he wouldn't accept my apology! I had too, I couldn't let him destroy our relationship!"

"So you're going to do it instead?" 

"Nano, please realize this the best for all of us! We can finally be happy again and you will no longer be fighting with your brother; we don't have to go through this pain anymore!" Lalna was now crying with her as the weight of the world crushed him. 

"But you make me happy, I can't lose you Lalna!" 

"I can't lose you either!" Lalna hugged her tightly not wanting to let her go.

"But I've made up my mind, and this is what is best." 

Nano reached up to kiss him for the last time as tears streamed across both of their faces. The kiss seemed to last forever as neither of them wanted it to end. 

As they parted, the sapphire necklace caught Lalna's attention. Knowing that Nano had not taken it off since he had given it to her, Lalna spoke up, "The necklace, I want you to give the sapphire necklace back! I think it be easier for you to forget about me if you do?" 

Nano hesitantly unhooked the chain of the necklace and slowly gave it back to Lalna, "But I don't want to forget you!" Though Nano respected his request, she didn't want to part with the necklace as it held deep sentimental value for her. Lalna had given it to her after all, and it made her think of him and the wonderful memories they shared everytime she looked at the necklace. 

"I'm sorry!" Lalna sputtered in a low voice.

"I know!" Nano understanding his pain replied.

"So this is the last time we get to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend then?" 

"I guess so!" Nano trailed away from him, "I better leave then before this gets anymore awkward?" 

"Yeah, I think that would be best!" He replied. 

Nano waved Lalna goodbye as she walked off into the night. Lalna exhaustedly sat down on the wood planked floor of the pier while holding the sapphire necklace tight in his palm, tears decorating the sapphire. 

It was finally over. 

 

An hour later after Nano had left the pier and arrived at home, she had finally swept off all her tears before her grief turned towards anger directed at the person who caused her now ex-boyfriend to break up with her. She was going to kill Rythian! How dare he force Lalna to break up with her by giving him a rigged ultimatum. Nano could tolerate her brother hating Lalna but Rythian had gone too far this time! Rythian had indirectly broken her heart, and now she was going to break his everything that may also include his face. 

Nano stomped loudly as she swung open the front door and thankfully Rythian stood right in front of her in the kitchen not far from her sights and she wasn't going to let him escape.

"Rythian!" 

Rythian quickly turned his attention towards the sound to face his angry sister, who aggressively inched forwards to meet with him. "Hey, Nano, back so soon?" He asked surprised by her angered state. 

"Don't play dumb with me, Rythian, you know what you did!" Nano yelled at him. 

"And what did I do exactly?" 

Nano fumed, "Lalna broke up with me, do you know anything about that?" 

"He broke up with you?" Rythian admittedly didn't half-expect Lalna would actually go through with his demand, but lucky for Rythian his plan worked out perfectly. "Oh, I don't know anything about it?" He smugly faked innocence.

Nano wasn't buying it for a second, "Cut the crap, Rythian, I know you were behind this; Lalna told me everything!" She was getting ready to pound him in the face at any moment. 

"Finally that jackass is gone, thank god, I thought he would never leave! Now we can finally move on and pretend he never existed!" Rythian smiled. 

Boy, he done it now! Nano furiously lunged at Rythian punching his arm in the process,"The only jackass here is you! You're the reason we broke up, you and your stupid revenge scheme!"

Rythian dismissed the attack and nonchalantly sighed, "Just forget about him, Nano, you're better off without him! You don't need him!" Rythian noticed the absence of the sapphire necklace that she wore throughout the beginning of the month up until now but he thought nothing of it. 

"Stay out of my love life! Hell, just fucking stay out of my life in general, you're my big brother you're supposed to protect me not make it your goal to ruin my life!" She bursted out not caring to hold back her rage.

"I'm protecting you from him, that's why I had to break you and him up ... to protect you!" Rythian stuttered. 

"No, you only cared about making Lalna suffer. You never cared about me or how I would feel about this! Only yourself!" 

"Nano, please it's not like you actually liked him or anything! You'll get over it!" Rythian clearly wasn't getting it. 

Nano couldn't take anymore,"Leave me alone! Just leave me alone you jerk! I'm never talking to you again!" After Nano stormed off towards her bedroom and was safely out of sight, Rythian rolled his eyes to shake off the encounter before happily reveling in his victory. 

 

For the whole week afterwards, Nano stayed in her room alone with no intentions of leaving with the exception of school and meals while sadness and anger consumed her. Nano had kept her promise of not speaking or even acknowledging Rythian in anyway. It was her way of showing him that he had hurt her badly. Hopefully Rythian would realize it soon? 

Nano hesitantly exited her room and went down the stairs after she heard someone knock on the door. She didn't feel up to facing the world yet.

Nano sneakily looked out the window to identify the unexpected guest before deciding to confront them at the door. Thankfully it was only Zoey, though somewhere in the back of her mind, Nano had hoped it would have been Lalna.

Nano put on the happiest face she could muster, but admittedly couldn't even remember what happy felt like anymore and opened the front door, "Hey, Zoey, come in!" 

"Oh, hey, I just came because I forget something here?" Instantly Zoey noticed Nano's distraught behaviour and the dried tears on her face, "Are you okay, Nano? What's been bothering you?" 

Nano stepped back a bit to give herself space to express her emotions,"Lalna broke up with me." She said as fresh tears arose from her eyes. She thought she could handle talking to her friend, but she just wasn't tough enough yet to hold back the waterworks.

"He-he broke up with you?" Zoey asked surprised since this was the first she heard any news about that. "Why?" 

"Rythian!" 

Zoey knew exactly what she had meant by that, "And where is Rythian now?" 

"He left a while ago to hang out with Ravs and Teep." She answered. "He'll be back soon!"

"Noted!"

Nano and Zoey talked for a while, enough time for Nano to share all that had happened over the past week. Once Nano was content with the venting session, she headed back towards her room to resume her sulking, but feeling better than before, while Zoey waited downstairs patiently for Rythian to return.


	9. Chapter Nine: Bittersweet Victory

Meanwhile, while Nano was crying her heart out about her problems to Zoey at home, Rythian was celebrating his victory over Lalna with Teep and Ravs in a popular, chain, sit-down restaurant. 

The restaurant was bright and jovial, fully packed and loud with happy patrons including the three friends, who were chatting amongst themselves even though it was mainly just Rythian and Ravs who were talking because of Teep’s silent nature. 

Rythian causally rested in his chair, not a care in the world, happily sipping his soda and feeling the best he ever felt in the past few months. All of his previous anger and hatred slowly seeped away as Rythian took peace in knowing that the person who caused all of his problems was now gone for good. 

“Ah, this is the life! Nothing better than a couple of friends hanging out on a Friday night, having the time of their lives!” Rythian laughed before taking another sip of his soda.

Rythian then raised his glass up high in the air, “Hey, let’s cheers to new beginnings and happiness to us all?” Ravs and Teep reluctantly complied to the offer, as the three glasses clashed together in a loud clunk before the three took a generous drink of their beverages.

“This has been the best week of my life, ever since that big, dumb idiot decided it was best to leave us all alone! I would thank him, if I didn’t despise him so much!” Rythian stated, oblivious to the consequences of his actions. 

Ravs raised an eyebrow in suspicion, “So … how is your sister holding up? I’m certain she is devastated after been broken up with and all? I hope she is okay, it must be hard for her to deal with?” 

“She is fine, nothing to worry about, Ravs! Soon Nano will realize how much of an awesome big bro I am, and thank me! There is no way she can be mad at me forever. I know my sister; she will get over him in no time, I swear!” Rythian replied defensively, denying the fact that he had ever hurt his sister. 

“I don’t know about that, mate, both of you sure know how to hold a grudge?” Ravs informed slyly. Teep nodded in agreeance. 

Rythian crossed his arms, “What that’s supposed to mean? Nano and I don’t hold any grudges, besides this is all his fault anyways! I didn’t do anything to hurt her, since he was the one that broke up with her!” 

“Never said that you did, Ryth. Plus it isn’t like you forced Lalna to break up with your sister or anything?” Ravs commented, fully aware of the truth but restraining from provoking Rythian anymore in fear of angering him too much and ruining their fun night out. Teep just raised an eyebrow in concern. 

“Right!? Just making sure, we don’t want to point any fingers, I swear I’m as innocent as an angel!” Rythian added, slowly calming down, realizing that he was getting angry over nothing. He knew that he didn’t do anything wrong, so why get fussy over it? Lalna was the one to blame for all of this, not him. 

Ravs quickly changed the subject, knowing Rythian desperately wanted the same, “It is all good, nothing to worry about! So what’s the latest movie you’ve seen?” Teep smiled as well with the subject change, not wanting to see an argument between the two. 

The conversation began again as normal, with no mentions of Nano or Lalna for the rest of the night to Rythian’s delight. Despite enjoying the conversation, Rythian couldn't shake the mysterious nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was missing some crucial information. “It was nothing,” Rythian thought to himself trying to brush it off, but he just couldn’t. 

Once the boys had their fun for the night, all full on soda and fatty foods, they decided to part ways and head to their respective homes. Rythian remained completely unaware of what was waiting for him when he got home. 

 

\--

A good long week after the pivotal incident, Rythian and Zoey found themselves still in the hospital being checked up on constantly to recover from their injuries: Rythian’s freshly burnt jaw and Zoey’s broken, left arm. The lower portion of Zoey’s left arm was covered in a cast that she would have to wear for a few months for it to heal properly, while Rythian’s 2nd and 3rd degree burns had been treated to the best of the hospital’s abilities. Though at this point, Rythian still needed help to eat without any problems, as he adjusted to eating with these new markings on his face. 

While the two were recovering from their injuries, they had not seen nor heard any sign of Lalna, the person who caused all of this pain. It was almost like he had disappeared from the face of the Earth, which was actually much to Rythian’s delight, as he never wished to see him again. 

Rythian quickly found Zoey after one of his daily physical therapy appointments, eagerly wanting to tell her something that had been on his mind for months. 

“Hey, Zo!” He greeted her, surprisingly cheerful considering what had happened recently. 

“What’s up Rythian? You seem quite happy today? What’s been going on with you recently?” Zoey asked, her injury seemingly not dampening her optimistic demeanor. 

“Oh, nothing much, you know, just slowly recovering!” Rythian answered her, “So how are you holding up?” 

“Great, just great! After I got over the initial pain, I realized that my arm looks like a super awesome cyborg arm!” Zoey smiled. 

Rythian laughed, “Well that’s good, glad you’re doing alright!” 

“Yeah, oh I almost forgot!” Zoey pulled a box out of her bag with her good arm, “Here I got you something I thought you might like?!” 

Rythian nodded, opening up the box to reveal a long purple scarf. “Zoey, this is amazing! Thank you so much!” he said before quickly wrapping the present around his fresh scars. 

“I thought you would like a replacement since you lost your other one due it being burnt up!” 

Rythian looked down in deep thought, “Look… Zoey, I got something I really want to tell you?” 

Zoey nodded, “Sure go right on ahead!” 

Rythian finally confessed his feeling about her and to his surprise she returned them. After three long months of pain and torture, Rythian, for the first time in forever, felt the happiest he ever could be as a great change was going his way. Now that Lalna was gone for good, his life was going in the right direction. 

\--

Once Rythian arrived home, he noticed how cold the air had gotten as he made his way to the living room. He then glanced over to the kitchen soon realizing to his surprise that someone was there, staring at him. 

It was Zoey. 

What was she doing here? Rythian was shocked to find her; it just wasn't something he was expecting. Wasn’t she busy enjoying her time with Fiona? Why was she here? 

“Oh-Hey there Zoey! Didn’t expect to see you here this soon? H-How is Fiona doing?” 

Zoey didn’t respond, keeping her cold, determined stare going. Even someone who just met Zoey would be able to tell she wasn’t acting her usual bright and cheery self. 

Nope. She was angry, very angry, and Rythian knew something was up right away. It wasn’t like when Nano got angry. Her’s were usually short, loud, frequent and resulted with Rythian getting physically hurt. Rythian was accustomed to his sister’s ways, so they didn’t scare him … that much! But Zoey was unquestionably different. Her moments of anger were quiet, rare, and meant that Rythian had royally screwed up somehow. It scared Rythian to the bone. 

Rythian cautiously approached Zoey, who was seated far back in the kitchen while Rythian consciously stayed close to the door. 

“I came here to pick something up,” Zoey finally broke her silence, “but then I heard the bad news!” 

“Bad news? What bad news?” Rythian asked, hoping she wasn’t referring to what he thought she was. 

“Oh, that Nano and Lalna had broke up! I can’t believe it, they seemed to be so in love, what a shame! Sad isn’t it?” 

Rythian froze, this wasn’t going to end well for him at all. “Y-yeah, what a shame! But that means Lalna is gone, and Nano can finally be happy again!” 

Zoey glared at him, “I don’t think you’re seeing the point here. Let me help you, your sister had her heart broken!” 

Rythian hiccuped, “N-no, she didn’t! She is perfectly fine, perfectly fine without that douchebag, Lalna!” 

Zoey shook her head, “No, no she isn’t! She cried her heart out to me just a few hours ago, and she is probably in her room crying right now!” 

Rythian couldn’t make himself believe he had any part in her heart break. Nope! It was still all Lalna’s fault. “I know my sister, she is fine! Lalna was just dead weight. No way she had any feelings for him!” 

“Clearly you don’t know, Rythian!” 

“Yes, yes I do! Don’t tell me that I don’t! Because I do!” Rythian said as he voice grew in volume, stubborn as always. 

“Rythian listen to me for once! Your sister is heart-broken because of you … b-because you made Lalna break up with her!” Zoey retorted, not backing down. 

“No, I didn’t! He was the one who hurt her! I didn’t have anything to do with it! It was all his doing!” Rythian denied any blame directed at him, not wanting to admit that he possibly had anything to do with it. 

“That’s not what Nano said. Admit it; this was apart of one big revenge scheme? This wasn't about protecting Nano. This was about protecting yourself and making Lalna suffer as much as possible! Well looks like your planned worked, congratulations!” The last part overflowing with sarcasm as Zoey spoke. 

Rythian huffed as his blood started to boil, “I was protecting her! Protecting her from that monster, from the same torture and pain that he had caused us! You know what he is capable of; I couldn’t let him do that again! Never again!” 

Zoey stayed calm, but remained angered, “I’ve told you time and time again, not to take revenge on him! But you have refused to listen to me, to Nano, because you just can’t let what he did to you go! You need to move on. I have for a long while, and Lalna had too! But-but you had refused to move on, to make peace with the past!” 

Rythian crossed his arms, not ready to back down just yet, “I did what I had to, to ensure he stayed in his place and that I was no longer going to be a victim in his sick, twisted, little game! He needed to be shown who is boss. He deserved what he got, and what he got was justice!” 

“No he didn’t! He had already learned his lesson years ago. He didn’t get justice. He got spitefulness and a broken heart!” 

“If he ever had one,” Rythian slyly retorted. “Besides this is all his fault! He was the one who decided to bully us, to hurt us! If he hadn’t broken your arm and burnt my jaw to a crisp, then maybe things would have been different!” Rythian commented, not showing any remorse for Lalna. 

“But he wasn’t the one who broke your sister’s heart! I think we both know who did that?” Zoey added, with a knowing smile. 

Rythian stood, stubborn and still. Why was he being blamed for all this? He could believe that Nano got hurt somehow, but not that he did anything wrong and that Lalna was the one who cause this, who he thought was still evil after all these years. 

“So you’re blaming this all on me? I’ve told you, this is his fault not mine. He got what he deserved, and you should be thankful that he's gone; Nano should too!” Rythian repeated stubbornly. 

Zoey knew Rythian’s mind couldn’t be changed easily, with him being this stubborn. She needed a new tactic if she wanted him to realize the pain he caused his sister. She smirked once she thought of a brilliant one, though she knew that is was a bit harsh and irrelevant, but she hoped it would wake Rythian up from his angry and vengeful state. She just really wanted her old best friend back and the happiness of Nano and Lalna to return. She decided she had to do it because there was no other way to bring Rythian back to his senses. 

“Do you still have feelings for me?”

Rythian coughed, when she mentioned it, obviously surprised she would even bring it up in the first place and especially now of all times. “What? No, no, how could I? I mean we are friends, just friends, and you-you’re with Fiona, besides you only like girls so… that would just be awkward.” 

Zoey laughed with a soft smile, “And you know why that is? Because we’ve changed, our feelings have changed, everything has changed since then! Me, you, and most importantly Lalna! Admit it, we all have changed, no way can you deny it now?” 

Rythian relaxed as the panic settled down. Though he remained stubborn, he would at least give Zoey a chance to explain her reasoning in believing Lalna had changed. “He’s incapable of change, but fine I’ll listen to what you have to say, maybe you have a good point?” 

Zoey nodded, as she continued, “Well he apologized to me, and that was nice of him. Though apparently you had rejected his apology or I wouldn’t be here talking to you about it.” 

“Because he doesn't deserve forgiveness, but go on?” 

She continued, “Clearly he wants to forget and forgive about what had happened between you two, so can’t you at least give him a chance?” 

Rythian shook his head, “Nope, like I said, he doesn't deserve it!” 

“Fine, what will I have to do to change your mind about him?” Zoey pleaded, almost out of options at this point. 

“Nothing, I’m not changing my mind, not you, not for Nano, and especially not for him!” 

Zoey sighed, desperately needing to get him to understand somehow, “What if I tell you, you two are not so different after all?” 

Rythian raised an eyebrow, as his anger grew again, “That … that is a total lie, there is nothing in common between us and for good reason!” 

Zoey smiled, “Not so fast, there is one thing in common!” 

“And what is that?” 

“Nano! You both care deeply for her, and she does the same for the both of you! She’s the reason that Lalna is back in our lives anyway, and you both would do anything to make her happy! Nano is the common link between you two, and she would be glad to see you two finally get along!” 

Rythian instantly denied it. There was no way Lalna cared for his little sister like he did and no way that he and Lalna had anything in common. “You’re lying, there is no way I’m like that heartless bastard, and Nano could never have any feelings for him!” He shouted as his anger came to a boil, no longer willing to listen to reason. 

“But it is true. I’ve been telling you that form the very beginning! If you just listen and stop being so angry and stubborn, maybe you would see it too!” Zoey begged, on the verge of tears. 

“No! You’re supposed to be my best friend, and be on my side! But you took his side, not mine, not your best friend for years but that stupid bully! Zoey, you’re the traitor, and I’m in the right, I know it! If only you and Nano would have listened to me, then things would be different but they’re not!” Rythian screamed, now done entertaining the conversation. 

“Maybe because you’re acting like who he was back then, admit it, you became the bully! You bullied the ex-bully, and now you’re no better than he was! You became exactly what you’re fighting against!” Zoey retorted, all out of options. 

“Get out now! I’m not and never would be like him in a million years!” 

“Fine, then I guess I’m no longer your best friend anymore!” Zoey exclaimed, quickly grabbing her bag and jacket as she ran past Rythian trying her best to hide her now flowing tears. “Call me when you stop being a huge jerk!” she yelled as she fled out of the door, not wanting to deal with Rythian anymore. 

Rythian huffed as she left, “Good riddance, I don’t need you!” 

Rythian headed upstairs towards his bedroom, just wanting to forget everything. He didn't need Zoey, he didn’t need Nano! And like Hell he needed Lalna for anything more than a punching bag. They were all just holding him down anyway! He was better of alone. He knew he was right. Why would anything she said change that? 

Rythian paused his raging thoughts for a second once he heard an unmistakable noise coming from one of the second floor rooms. 

Rythian investigated the noise further, realizing that the sound emitted from Nano’s room. Nano was making the noise, no doubt.

It sounded like crying? 

Why was she crying? Was it because of him? Wait, was it because of me? Rythian thought unexpectedly. 

Rythian let out a somber sigh as he weakly made his way to his bedroom to think over thoroughly about what he had done.


	10. Chapter Ten: Saved by the Hats

The week following the breakup was one of the most tortuous, depressing, and an all around horrible time in general for Lalna. Most of the week spent with him quietly curled up depressed in his dark room having no reason, other than school, to leave. 

Lalna laid down in his bed as he tightly clutched the sapphire necklace in his shaking hand, trying desperately to hold back the wave of tears that seemed to take control of his being. The necklace stood as a constant reminder of Nano, and what could have been. Three months. Three months. How could it all end in such a short time but still feel like it was an eternity when it was all happening? Now it only felt like an eternity of pain without her. 

He missed her. He loved her. And he lost her. All because of himself. 

All because of what he did years prior to meeting Nano. All because he was completely unaware that she was Rythian’s sister. If he had a known that when he met her, he would’ve never thought of becoming friends with her, let alone even dating her. 

He pondered to himself. If he had met her during his time as a bully, what would their relationship have been like? Would she even like him back then, he wondered. Lalna doubted it; he didn't like how he was back then. Why would she be any different? Maybe she could’ve changed him if they would have met earlier, as well as talked him out of bullying Rythian and Zoey? And they would have eventually fallen in love? Or maybe she would have destroyed him to bloody bits for severely hurting her brother? The latter felt more plausible than the former to Lalna’s misfortune, but the thought did make him laugh, though only for less than a second before he reverted back to his sulken state. 

Lalna sighed, he wished he could take it all back. If only he had a time machine? It would solve all his problems. He could go back and stop himself from breaking up with Nano? Or make it so he never would have dated Nano? Or go back far enough to prevent himself from bullying Rythian? Or even...even make it so that he would have never existed in the first place? 

Any scheme he theorized seemed more fruitless than the last. All of them would have resulted in the same outcome as the present no matter what happened. He would be alone, sad, and without Nano at his side. 

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the purring of his cat, Tiddles, who stomped obnoxiously across his bed making her presence known to Lalna. 

“Hey girl, have you been worried about me? Or do you just want some food?” Lalna asked the feline. 

Tiddles made no response while beginning to claw at Lalna, seemingly wanting to pester him instead of comfort him. Lalna removed the cat form his scratched chest as he sighed heavily, “You aren't against me as well? It seems like the world is trying to get rid of me lately, and you’re not helping!” 

The cat just stared at Lalna as she lazily sprawled out next to him, taunting him almost. 

“Oh what do you know? You’re just a bloody cat, not like you would be any help to get me through this! What am I doing talking to you anyway? Have I gone completely insane that I’ve resorted to asking a cat for advice? I have haven’t I?” 

The nonrespondent cat quietly fell asleep in the middle of Lalna’s rant, while Lalna slowly felt himself going insane without Nano. He wanted his pain to end as quickly as possible and be with Nano like he so desperately wanted. 

Lalna looked at the necklace again and sighed. He didn't have the courage to face her at school for another week without killing himself in the process. Ah, if only there was a solution to all this? 

Lalna slowly willed himself up from out of bed and groomed himself making him appear somewhat decent since he was forcing himself to leave his room, which acted more like a prison. 

He sighed deeply as he exited the room, putting the necklace in his jeans pocket, preparing to face the day even if he was going to be miserable throughout it. 

“If only, if only,” he thought. 

He seriously needed to consider taking to Xephos and Honeydew about that time machine? 

 

After a full week of disparity and pain, the following week didn't seem to hold anymore relief for the grieving lovebirds. The whole two weeks were hell, and still being science partners didn’t prevent any awkwardness and weirdness from surfacing during class, only leaving them communicating through different gestures and strange grunts with the occasional small talk. And when they weren't sharing the same class, they made it their priority to avoid each other in the halls at all cost.

Not because they didn’t still love each other, but it was because they loved each other too much and were afraid they couldn’t contain it any longer. Which made it so that even if they got back together in secret, there was still a chance something or someone would come along and ruin it for them… again. All because of Rythian! Rythian. Rythian would try to break them up again; they just knew it! Better not risk it. He had already done enough damage as it is! 

Lalna sat with Xephos and Honeydew during lunch, but obviously not in the mood to eat. Between poor attempts to naw at his food, he snuck glances at Nano, who was sitting at the far end of the lunchroom with Lomadia at her side, presumingly comforting her best friend. 

He quickly snapped back his attention to Xephos who began to speak, “I’m not sure what you are all worried about, I’m sure you’ll get back together in no time!” 

Lalna shook his head and huffed deeply, before fiddling with the sapphire necklaces in his pocket, “I wish I was as confident as you about this, but from where I’m standing right now, it is utterly hopeless!” 

“Come on, don’t say that pal, things might look up in no time!” Honeydew commented cheerily, trying his noble effort to cheer Lalna up. 

“Sorry, Honeydew, but I’m not feeling my best as it is! But thank you anyway, I guess!” Lalna meekly smiled back, feeling guilty about not being at his best with his best friends. 

Honeydew sighed before giving an understanding nod, “You’re welcome, go and take your time, I’m sure you’ll be right as rain soon!” 

Lalna mirrored his movements before turning to his barely eaten food, it would be a long while before Lalna would be feel fine again. 

“Maybe we can go to a convention or maybe we can experiment a bit in the lab?” Xephos offered genuinely, looking for a way to distract his friend from the pain he was in. 

Lalna perked up at the word “experiment” then he laid his head on the table as if defeated from some unknown force. 

Xephos rolled his eyes in annoyance. Lalna wasn’t budging and there wasn’t much he could do to perk him back up, “You know we can always clone her if it ever comes down to that?” He replied almost jokingly, as he caught Nano in the corner of his eye. 

“Won’t be the same!” Lalna whined, his voice muffled from the table and his hands, which were wrapped around his head. 

Xephos sighed, “Maybe you’re right, but it is better than nothing!” 

As Xephos and Honeydew tried to think of ideas to cheer Lalna up, at the far end of lunchroom Lomadia was doing the same for Nano. 

While they were busied with that, in the middle of the large room three mischievous and scheming boys were sitting together, suspiciously talking amongst themselves as if they were planning something. And if you knew anything about the three, you’ll be right in your presumption. 

One of them had ruffled black hair, and was dog-like in both appearance and personality, and was named Ross. The one sitting next to him had slick brown hair and seemed to have an affiliation with marine life, specifically the walrus, and had a high intelligence of some sorts. He was Trott. And the third, at the other side of the two, had curly ginger hair and a reptilian-like disposition, he was easily the most slimiest of the three; Alsmiffy was his name. The group of three was given the name of Hat Films, and were known for causing chaos at Yogscast High School. 

They were currently talking about their latest scheme, something that had to do with dead fish and releasing them today in the lunchroom. “Looks like the plan is ready lads, let's put it action!” Trott commanded, the obvious mastermind of this whole thing. Alsmiffy was in charge of pulling the stirring which released the fish on the unsuspecting students, while Ross was the distraction. They all got into their positions as Trott waited to give the other two the signal to put the plan in motion. 

Meanwhile, Nano viciously stabbed her food as she had literal daggers in her eyes, “I hate my brother, why couldn’t I have been an only child!” 

“Aw come on it is not that bad, at least he didn’t kill him or anything?” Lomadia consoled her friend, who had been staying with Lomadia’s place since the beginning of this week, presumingly so she won’t have to face Rythian for the time being. Thank god, they didn’t share a lunch hour together or Nano would have certainly done something horrible to him. 

“I want to murder him so badly, that way he can’t butt into my relationships anymore!” Nano exclaimed angrily, a cold-blooded expression on her face showed that she was at least contemplating it even if she probably wasn't serious about it. 

Lomadia gave her a bright smile, “Listen, I’ll help bury the body and give you a solid alibi in court!” Lomadia humoured Nano, hoping her support will calm her. 

Nano flashed a small smile, “Thanks, Lo, you are truly a great friend to have!” She said before hugging her best friend. 

“Anything for you, girl!” Lomadia replied. 

“I just wish I was able to be with Lalna again, why does my brother hate him so much, why does he hate me so much?” Nano knew the answer to the first but still couldn’t find the answer for the last. Just as she was speaking Ross was apparently making a ruckus but she didn’t pay him much attention. 

“I don’t know, maybe your brother would come around soon, maybe?” Lomadia said as she was trying to help the situation a bit, not paying Ross any attention either. 

Nano glanced back and forth with Lalna, neither wanting to stare for too long or both would get lost in each other's gaze, making it all the more awkward and heartbreaking. 

Then Trott gave the signal, which allowed all hell to break loose in just a few seconds. 

“Why can’t something go right for once these past two weeks can something go my way!” Nano shouted to herself, just as a swarm of fish rained from the heavens as if it was an act of god and not just three pranksters. 

As the rain of fish fell, the students and faculty all rushed to get away from the bombardment of sea life as the cafeteria became a literal mess hall, with food and fish flying everywhere in a scattered splash. 

“I’ve spoken too soon!” Nano stated, deadpanned, as she and Lomadia grabbed their stuff and fled the lunchroom. Nano was thankful she didn’t have to spend another lunch hour with Lalna, at least for today, even if that meant smelling like carp, salmon, and tuna for the rest of the day. 

Everyone knew instantly who had done this, and the culprits were quickly apprehended, making them serve the whole detention cleaning the mess they made up. 

Lalna stayed by Xephos and Honeydew, glad that something had finally distracted him from his thoughts. 

Just as Lalna and Nano were leaving to go their next class, they shared passing glances as they went their separate ways, hoping that something or someone will save them from their heartbreak soon. 

If only. If only...


	11. Chapter Eleven: What Comes Around Goes Around

“What have I done, what have I done?” 

Rythian thought to himself frustrated as he drove madly around town, trying to make sense of the dire consequences that had befallen him. He had to now pay for the consequences of his actions, everyone had to pay for the consequences of his actions now. 

How could he have been so blind to everything that had been going on for the past few months? Did Nano actually have feelings for Lalna? Did Lalna feel that same about her? Was Zoey right the whole time about Lalna? Is Lalna still a bully anymore or was Rythian the bully now? Was he being so selfish and vengeful that he didn’t consider anyone's feeling but his own? 

It was too many questions to be asked at once, and he doubted they were all going to be answered anytime soon. Even with having a full week to mull over these questions in complete silence and loneliness, he wasn’t any closer to finding the answers by himself. 

Once Rythian had calmed down a bit, he parked on the side of the road to get his thoughts together. He decided to try to call either Nano or Zoey once more, anything to get them talking again. And with how he had been acting to them, he wasn’t surprised that they didn’t want anything to do with him, but he had to make up to them one way or another!

He tried to call Nano again and when she didn’t answer after about twenty calls, he then tried to call Lomadia with the same results. Rythian sighed, time to move on to Zoey then, maybe he would have better luck with her instead. 

Rythian called the number, listening to the familiar ring a few times before finally it stopped, “Hey, Zoey, I know you don’t really want to talk to me right now but-” 

He was cut off by a loud, booming voice, “Listen Rythian, I know you’ve been best friends with Zoey for years, but would you kindly fuck off! You’ve hurt her enough, goodbye!” 

It was Fiona. 

Then the call cut out before Rythian could say anything else, “Great,” Rythian sighed, “there goes that attempt!” 

Now there was no way to get ahold of Zoey as of now, not with Fiona being so protective of her girlfriend, and he didn't want to deal with fighting a losing battle with her. 

Rythian had to think of another way, calling them isn’t helping his situation one bit, and he doubted that they wanted to talk to him in person. He had to find a way to make it up to his best friend and sister, and it had to be big and obvious for it to work. 

Rythian thought deeply for more than an hour, trying to find alternates to his plan, each one sounding more and more ridiculous and desperate by the minute. 

“No not that, anything but that!” Rythian thought frantically, not liking the idea of his new plan, “That is absolutely not going to happen, it is crazy and stupid! No way am I talking to… Him!” 

But what other choice did he have? He needed a way to talk to Nano and Zoey, why not have him talk to them? Have him help smooth things out for him, break the tension and what not? Besides they now trust him over Rythian currently, it was his only hope for any sort of redemption. 

He had to talk to… Lalna! It was the only way for him to make up to them… And maybe Lalna would consider talking if he was ever sorry about what he had done to Rythian in the past? It was a long shot but the possible outcome over weighed Rythian’s suspicions and resentment about Lalna. 

Rythian sighed, “Here goes nothing!” 

 

\--

It was a month after they had earned their battle scars, and Rythian and Zoey were happy despite the pain they had went through because of Lalna. Their new found relationship was blossoming or so they thought, for Rythian it was like having a best friend but more, and he couldn't of been happier … But for Zoey it was a different story. 

Sure it was fun for a while but the innocent dates, hand holding, and little signs of affection didn’t feel like they should. The fairy tail fantasy of a knight saving a princess from an evil wizard slowly faded into crystal clear reality for Zoey. It felt off, weird, almost foreign like a new language you never heard before, but there was another thing… And Zoey didn’t know it until it hit her right in the face, so to speak. 

Her and Rythian were sitting on a bench in a park, the same park that they suffered through their injuries, though this time it felt rather lethargic to be there. Since they were in control of the territory now with Lalna gone and absent from the vicinity. 

Rythian slowly started to adjust to his newly mutilated face while he proudly wore his purple scarf over it, while Zoey’s arm was almost healed with only a thin cast left to mark her struggle. 

Zoey avoided any eye contact with Rythian, as she tried to find a way to gently break the news to him of her new discovery about herself. He was her best friend, yes, but she didn’t want to be any more or less, and she knew the exact reason why. 

“Uh… Rythian I have something to confess to you?” Zoey nervously spattered out, afraid of possibly ruining her friendship with him. 

“Yeah, what is it? Go on Zoey, you know you can tell me anything, right?” Rythian replied, as casual as he can be. 

Zoey fought to find the right words to say to him, ones that would make all of this nervousness go away. Zoey had to tell him. He would understand; he had too! 

“Rythian what-what I want to say is that-that I…” Zoey trailed endlessly. 

“Zoey? What is it?” Rythian asked in concern. 

It was a long second as Zoey gained the needed to courage to get what was on her mind out in the open. 

“Rythian, I-I’m gay! I like girls, not boys!” 

He looked shocked before regaining his senses, Zoey was afraid for the worst as she waited for his response. 

“Oh… Oh, that is it?” Rythian said, looking hurt at first before shrugging it off like it was a bug on his shoulder, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

Zoey was surprised at how well he took it, she was scared he would blow up after the tragedy he had because of Lalna. “So-so you’re not mad?” 

Rythian shook his head, “Nope, besides I’d rather have you as my best friend than my girlfriend anyway, feels more natural that way!” 

Zoey squeaked as she hugged her friend in her excitement, while Rythian returned the favor. 

“Yay, best friends forever!” Zoey cheered, making Rythian laugh at her bubbliness. 

“Yep, and that is how it should be from now on! Now let’s find you a girlfriend!” Rythian smiled. 

The best friends talked for hours as the air had been clear of any pain and withheld feelings. This moment was the start of new beginning, a better beginning for the both of them. 

Rythian may not have gotten what he wanted but had got something better in return, since he only ever wanted him and Zoey to be happy. Rythian was pleased with his selfless decision, while Zoey never felt as free as she did now. 

This finally felt like the time for all the hurtful and spiteful feelings to be resolved and to be free of all their pain. Only time would tell if this promise would be kept, but for them, in this moment, they could only ever hope that was the case. 

A new bright future was in store for them, all of them, they would just have to see it to make it happen!

It was just waiting for them. 

\--

It took Rythian hours of research to find Lalna’s home, the sun setting past the horizon by the time he had found the place. He was dreading going to his destination, but he swallowed his pride and continued on his quest for redemption, determined no matter what it took! 

He idled in his car, fighting himself as to whether to open the car door and head towards Lalna’s house or just drive off hoping he would find another solution. Unfortunately for Rythian, this was the only solution he had, and he had to go through with it. 

For Nano. 

He gazed hopelessly at the house, but despite his angst, he managed to gather all the courage he could to face Lalna by himself. Even if it meant forgiving Lalna for what he had done to him, and vice versa or confirming his worst fears. 

Rythian took a big long sigh into his scarf as he stepped out of the car and trudged for the front door. He would find the answers he needed soon enough. 

He swallowed his pride once more before hesitatingly knocking on the door, praying for some kind of miracle to take place. He waited a few seconds, fearing that Lalna would kick him out at first glance and vow to take revenge for what Rythian had done to him. 

Just like what Rythian had done to Lalna previously, “So this is it…” Rythian muttered to himself as the door swung open in his face. 

“Ry-Rythian… What-what are you doing here?” Lalna questioned in complete and utter shock and disbelief. 

“I-I came to talk to you… Uh Lalna… If-if you’re willing to of course.” Rythian replied, trying to not look so shameful of himself. 

Lalna nodded slowly, understanding exactly what he had meant, “Come on in, Rythian,” Lalna requested as Rythian followed him inside to the living room. Lalna causally sat on his couch before asking Rythian politely to sit down beside him; Rythian timidly following suit. 

Rythian wasn’t expecting this response from Lalna at all, which made him even more scared of what was to come next. 

They sat in palpable awkwardness and silence, which felt like forever for the pair, before one of them was brave enough to speak up. 

“So what did you want to talk to me about…” Lalna piped up, but he had a good inkling as to what it was about. 

Nano. 

“Yeah… So-so about you and my-my sister…” Rythian trailed not wanting to finish his sentence. 

Lalna looked bewildered by his response, but then sighed in relief after realizing Rythian’s true intentions, grinning the corner of his mouth just a little bit. 

“Rythian, are-are you trying to tell me something…” Lalna inquired, nervously fiddling with the sapphire necklace tucked just inside his pocket. 

Rythian sighed and nodded, his eyes trailing in multiple directions before recognizing the tip of the object Lalna was fidgeting with in his pocket. 

It was the sapphire necklace that Nano had on before mysteriously disappearing, Rythian finally realized. 

Lalna must have given it to her, he concluded. 

“Wh-what is that…” Rythian inquired, even though he was fully aware as to what it was. As he pointed squarely towards Lalna’s pocket, where he was playing with the blue rock, Rythian continued “in your pocket… That you’re holding?” 

Lalna quickly darted his eyes over to Rythian finally making full eye contact with him, then back to the necklace “It-it is just something-something very important to me… And your sister!” Though the last part of his sentence was almost a mumble that Rythian could hardly make out what he had said. 

Rythian eyes widened on the stone in awe before gently reaching the hand that he previously pointed with out towards Lalna, “Can-can I see it, if ,um, you don’t mind?” 

Lalna stared at him like an alien or something out of this plane of existence then sheepishly placed what he desired in his palm. 

Rythian nodded at him in thanks as he carefully examined the necklace like it was a national treasure, “I bet Nano really loved this thing, I never saw her without it… Well up until recently that is.” 

Lalna could not hide his brewing smile as he thought about his ex-girlfriend and how happy she was when he presented her with said gift. He then frantically motioned for Rythian to give him back the precious gift with whom the former complied. 

As the ice was slowly being broken like a glacier in winter, Rythian still had not done what he set out to do there in the first place which caused him to sigh rather loudly. 

“What is up with you?” Lalna blurted, anxious by Rythian’s lack of any explanation as to why he suddenly visited. 

Rythian scoffed at himself wishing he didn't have to do this but he had to do it for Nano. Rythian clenched his teeth as he willed himself to speak, “I-I’m… S-so-sorry!” 

Lalna squinted at what he just said, was this all just a dream or some elaborate prank he wasn’t aware of, either way he shocked. 

“Y-you’re what?” 

“I’m sorry!” Rythian shouted hastily in frustration, “I should have never broken you and Nano up! I was a big, selfish jerk and all that mattered to me was getting revenge on you and nothing else. But I realize that I am in the wrong, and that my sister’s happiness is more important than getting my revenge on something that happened five years ago. I became what I hated in the first place, I-I became you… Well the you that were, not the you that you are now. I see that now.” 

Lalna blinked rapidly as he slowly gripped the reality of it all as it dawned on him what was going on before excitement and anticipation filled his being, “You-you really mean that? I can’t believe this is actually happening, does-does this means what I think it means?” 

Rythian gleamed at him, reluctantly, before nodding, “Yup!” 

Lalna mentally danced as a huge smile plastered his features, “Well apology accepted, buddy, I won’t make you regret this, I promise!” 

Rythian was taken aback by the sudden nickname but shook it off just the same, “Good, I hope we can start over, for the second time, and for Nano’s happiness, I feel guilty for everything I put you guys through!” 

Lalna agreed, “You know I would’ve probably done the same thing if I was in your position?” 

Rythian laughed at the notion, “And I apologize again for not accepting early.” 

Lalna smiled in response, “Accepted, and sorry for being a jerk to you in the past, thanks for giving me a second chance! So what now?” 

Rythian smirked,”I am going to help you and Nano get back together, for her sake!” 

“I have not been this happy since Nano and I were still dating, this is going be so great!” Lalna announced resisting the urge to hug Rythian right then and there, instead opting for a handshake as they sealed the deal. 

Finally Rythian let out a smile towards him that has been long since over do as a fifty ton weight had been lifted from his chest, “Now the big question is how are we going to do this?” Rythian pondered. 

Lalna shrugged but was willing to do anything if it meant he and Nano would be reunited again. 

Rythian perked up as a speeding thought rushed into his mind, “I have an idea…” 

“Great!” 

“And I know who to ask to help us with it, the only problem is that she may not forgive me for what I did.” 

“Well it is worth giving it a shot at least, what other options do we have?” 

Rythian sighed, “It is all or nothing, but what else do we have to lose from trying!” Rythian declared as he and Lalna put their plan in motion.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Somethings Never Change

Zoey walked steadily to her locker, humming a cheering tune while weaving her way across the crowded hallways. She quickly unlocked the familiar yellow and blue metal door before hastily throwing her books and supplies inside. She wanted to rush to lunch, as she craved a big, juicy veggie burger.

 ~~~~  
She continued the tune as she jarred her locker shut, knowing that at least maintaining a positive attitude would keep her from cracking from the events of the past few weeks. And all she wanted was to have all the pain fade away, which goes double for both Lalna and Nano.

  
As she turned around to face the hall and head to the lunchroom, an ominous sensation trickled down her spine. She turned quickly to see what the possible danger was.

  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the all too familiar forms of two teenage boys sprinting towards her, one tall and lanky and the other big and round.

  
It was Lalna and Rythian!

  
Wait… It was Lalna… And Rythian?

  
Huh… Why, why are they with each other? This must have been some weird kind of dream, Zoey rationalized.  
Before she had time to mull over her thoughts more, Rythian and Lalna were already in front of her, a mischievous grin splattered across both their faces.

  
What was going on?

  
“Z-Zoey, so glad we were able to find you,” Lalna panted as he was clearly out of breathe from sprinting around the school presumably trying to find her, “We-we were looking all over for you!”

  
Zoey nodded, as Rythian finally spoke, “Yeah, what he said. Anyway we wanted to speak to you, it is very important that we do!” Rythian stated, as she noticed his awkward gestures.

  
She let out a small smile, knowing this had to be good, “Go on?”

  
Rythian relaxed and so did Lalna, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, we need you for our plan!” Rythian begged.  
“Plan? What plan?” Zoey raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

  
“To get me and Nano back together!” Lalna spat out.

  
Zoey stood wide-eyed in shock, “Wait, wait, wait, you two are working together to get him and Nano together? And you want me to help?”

  
Lalna and Rythian glanced at each other before nodding in response, “Pretty much!” Lalna replied.

  
“That’s the gist of it, yes!” Rythian added.

  
Zoey nodded, “Hmm, this is rather surprising, but I can’t say I’m not charmed you guys asked me to help!”

  
“So will you help us?” Rythian pleaded.

  
“Please!” Lalna pouted like a sad puppy.

  
She thought about it for a minute, going through the pros and cons of each choice, before deciding as a smirk spread across her face. It was quite the spectacle seeing Lalna and Rythian working together as well as getting along by the looks of it. And she can’t help but be part of the show, having a desire to see how it all turns out.

  
“I will,”

  
Both Lalna and Rythian shot up like a beam in a pitch black night, as they breathed a sigh of relief.

  
“But on one condition!” Zoey added sternly.

  
“What is that?” Rythian inquired.

  
“We will do anything!” Lalna said, certainly not hiding his desperation.

  
Zoey curled her lips and crossed her arms,“I want an apology, Rythian, I’m still pretty hurt and upset by what you said and did to me!”

  
Rythian sighed, in all the excitement and planning, he forgot the first and one of the most important aspects of it, he needed to apologise to Zoey.

  
Both Zoey and Lalna look at him expectantly, waiting for his inevitable response.

  
Rythian gathered his thoughts then proceeded to put his plan into action, “Look Zoey, I’m sorry for my behaviour for the past few moments, I don’t know what came over me! Well I do, but you get the point! Anyway I apologise for everything I had done for the past months, my need for revenge clouded me from seeing the bigger picture! I hope you can forgive me?”

  
“And?” Zoey eagerly.

  
“And you are my best friend, and I’m sorry that I hurt you!”

  
“And?”

  
“And you were right the whole time, and I should have listened to you but I was a big idiot!”

  
“And?”

  
“And I’m a big, stupid, selfish, meenie!” Rythian finally admitted in defeat, wanting to be over with the games and get to on with the plan.

  
“Good!” Zoey declared in her well deserved victory.

  
Just as that happened, Rythian opened his arms up in anticipation for a friendly hug, hoping Zoey would take the bait.  
And she did as she pulled him closer into a tight hug, suddenly they both felt another presence wrapping themselves around the both of them, it was Lalna!

  
Rythian patted him on the shoulder as a sign to let go, as his improvised bear hug was a little too snug along with the added hug from Zoey.

  
“Little too tight there, Lal, save it for Nano!” Rythian laughed as they all separated from the unexpected group hug.

  
“So let’s talk about what we need to do for the plan then!” Rythian stated, ready to get back to business.

  
“One more thing?” Zoey piped up.

  
“What?” Lalna sighed in frustration.

  
“Let’s get lunch first, I’m starving!”

  
They all laughed, as Rythian smiled, “Agreed!”

 

  
The trio had concocted their plan all throughout the lunch period, though Lalna had to switch his free hour with his lunch hour for that day in order to be there with them, figuring out the perfect time and place to put everything they discussed into action.

  
Everything had to be perfect.

  
They all knew how suspicious Nano would be of everything if they didn’t play their cards right. If she noticed something seemed off, she would immediately foil their well thought out plan. They need to make it seem as normal as possible not to raise any suspicions from Nano, they need to make it believable.

  
Considering the circumstances of the whole situation however Nano was much more mentally and emotionally vulnerable than she normally was, so luck maybe on their side.

  
And they need all the luck on their side.

  
Once everything was finalised, it was time to wait for their plan to commence.

 

  
Zoey was anxiously staring at the side entrance of the high school, which led to the small courtyard just before the parking lot, waiting patiently for Nano to come through those doors.

  
It was Zoey’s job to text Nano to meet her at the side entrance, and conveniently Nano had to stay after school to finish up a project for an assignment. This was the perfect time for them because that meant most of the other students were gone by now, giving them the opportunity to make the scene as romantic as possible.

  
...Well as romantic as you can get with a school courtyard, but that was beside the point. The whole schabang and the intention behind it was more important than the location.

  
The school had a long rectangular wing that jutted out of one side of the already large rectangular main section which was were the majority of the school was held. The rectangular wing was mainly just used for plays, concerts, and the occasional assembly. Parallel to the length of the wing was the sprawling concrete pavement that had a path that lead to the parking lot while a big grassy knoll outlined the concrete. There was no nearby businesses that surrounded the school on that side, it was secluded enough that it made it the perfect place for the intimate conversation that was going to take part any second now.  
At the width of the wing, stood Lalna and Rythian where they were hidden from sight as they waited for Nano as well, which gave them time to relax a bit and think about what they wanted to say to her. How much both of them loved her, and how sorry they both were that they had hurt her because of this big mess of misunderstandings.

  
The tension was raising in them all as they waited for the guest of honour, all their fear and doubts welling up inside them just wanting to be released from the pressure. All the worry about if the plan didn't work out and what that meant for them if that was the outcome.

  
Thankfully they didn't have to dwell on it for too long as a familiar petite girl with long, jet black hair walked through the double doors that lead out into the courtyard.

  
It was go time!

  
“Hey, Zo! What did you want me to come here for?” Nano greeted melancholily with a ting of hope, that meant the she hadn't given up completely.

  
Lalna and Rythian froze in place as they listened for Zoey to ease her into the whole thing before she gave the signal for Rythian to do his part.

  
Zoey gave her a bright smile in return, hoping that her positivity might rub off to Nano, “Oh, I just wanted to talk to you, seeing how you were holding up after the break up and all! I barely got to see you after the whole incident, you must going through a lot from it all!”

  
Nano slowly nodded, she was starting come to terms with the reality of it all, the possibility that she and Lalna may never be getting back together plus the fact that her and her brother’s relationship would never recover from all the betrayal. It was honestly a lot to deal with but she was holding up well, as much as she could anyway.

  
“It’s going okay, most of the initial pain has dissipated, and I’m trying to distract myself with school and hobbies until I start to become better with dealing with it!” Nano admitted, wanting to talk to someone about it and get her thoughts out.

  
Zoey nodded in understanding, “Well that is good to hear. Positive thoughts are a good step in the way of healing!”  
Nano smiled weakly, knowing Zoey’s advise had a small impact on her as she always admired the fact that she can keep a positive attitude no matter what the issue was.

  
She wished she could do the same in this situation however, “Thank you, I needed hear something like that today!”

  
“You’re welcome, you never know what kind of surprises wait for you in the future?” Zoey replied, adding extra emphasis on the word “surprises” hoping to get her message out loud and clear for Rythian to understand.

  
“Yeah, I guess that is the one thing about the future you never know what is going t-” she was instantly cut off by their own words as the sight of her older brother came into view.

  
Her features turned sour as he swiftly moved towards her, “Ryth-Rythian, what are you doing here? Haven’t you hurt me enough? Or are you just going to pour more salt into my wounds?”

  
Rythian slowed his pace as he approached her. He wasn't surprised by her hostility towards him, heck he even excepted it from her given all the Hell he put her through. But he he had to show her how sincerely sorry he was about the everything, he knew he had to make it up to her or risk losing his sister forever.

  
He sighed, “Look I maybe the last person you want to see right now-”

  
“You got the right, bucko, how dare you come confront me after the shit you had done to me! You better have a good reason or else?” Nano threatened.

  
Those words stung him like a swarm of angry bees, but he had to be prescient since he had to tell everything on his mind. And if that didn’t work, Lalna would surely soften the blow to them both, hopefully she forgave me after that though.  
“-And that you probably hate my guts right now!” He continued, trying to find any indicator that she would let him finish his spiel.

  
Nano just stared at him with rage in her eyes, but he knew that was his sign to continue even if it scared him to the core, “You might think that I’m the worst big brother ever, but let me prove you wrong! Just let me explain everything, please?”  
Nano just sighed, “Okay, do your worst, I like to see you try to get out of this hole you made!”

  
Rythian nodded, “I’m so sorry about every single thing, I now know how much these past few months might have been Hell on Earth for you, and I only just recently realised how blind I was to it! I caused you irreversible pain and made every attempt to destroy your happiness! I destroyed it, without a second thought because I was so caught up with my own stupid, little revenge scheme that I forgot about how you have been feeling about all of this! I know I’m the worst big brother, I should have protected you; instead, I only hurt you in the end! I’m so sorry, I hope there is some way you can forgive me?”

  
Nano stood there stunned by the confession, but that didn't change how hollow his speech felt, it was too little too late! She didn’t think she could ever truly forgive him for what he did. It would take until she was in college and then some before she would be able to fully forgive him,”I accept the sentiment but I don’t think I can forgive you, at least not now anyway!”

  
A tiny smile crept on Rythian’s face behind his signature scarf, “I figured you’d say that, but I got something that should make you forgive me?”

  
“Nothing you can say or do can make me ever forgive you for what you di-” Nano was at a loss for words as she spotted another figure looming behind him, the blond hair and heavy build told her all she needed to know.

  
“Lalna?” Nano paused for the surprise as she looked to her brother for some sort of explanation. He had a sly smirk on his face in response.

  
“Lalna, what are you doing here? What is going on, I thought-I thought but-you two-”

  
Lalna beamed widely at her, which helped melt her frozen heart as she soaked in his presence, “Your brother had asked me to help him find a way for you to forgive him, I couldn't help but say yes, knowing how desperate he was!”

  
That made Rythian force a cough to get Lalna to go on with it, and so that he didn't have to be reminded of his shortcomings and desperation.

  
To his delight, Lalna obligated and continued on with his thoughts, “Anyway me and him, of course Zoey as well, have all come together to find a way to make up for all the pain you have been going through! We all know how much you deserve happiness, more so than all of us combined!”

  
Nano processed all the thoughts and feelings going through her head, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, this must be a fever dream from all torment.

  
And yet it felt all too real. She looked to Rythian who wearing a soft grin and Zoey who was practically jumping for joy from the scene.

  
“Rythian, does this means what I think it means?” Nano scanned her brother for a sign of approval to know that all this was happening, while Rythian just nodded.

  
A low squeel left her lips as she ran to her brother and then gave him a big hug which he gladly reciprocated, “You are the best big brother ever, I totally forgive, you know this is that best day of my life!”

  
“I know!”

  
She then turned to Lalna, who she can tell was feeling the same emotions as her, but he patiently stood there in silence waiting for his perfect moment to speak again.

  
“Here, I have something for you that I know you want back from me, I have been keeping it safe with me this whole time!” Lalna shuffled through his jean pocket, pulling out a beautiful blue gem necklace.

  
Nano allowed Lalna the honours of bestowing the artefact back to its rightful place on her neck before hugging him tightly and then finally giving him a long, well deserved kiss on the lips as he met the embrace.

  
They both came back to reality as a loud squeal pierced their eardrums, causing them to part their kiss as they searched for what it was that made the noise.

  
It was Zoey, and by the looks of it Rythian was also surprised by her sudden outburst, “Sorry, I couldn't help myself, it was far too cute for me to handle!”

  
They let out a laugh, as Lalna gave Nano a peck as they continued to hold on to each other, taking in every ounce of the other person.

  
While Rythian was silently smiling to himself as he watched everything unfold before him, happy and proud of his handy work. Happy that Nano was happy, and so was Lalna, Zoey too! All the fear, regret, and pain vanishing into thin air as he for the first time felt at peace after five years of pent up feelings. All the burden gone. The peace he so longed for all those years, he was relieved to have it finally come, it was the feeling they were all working towards in the end, he realised. It was now his time to feel it and be consumed by it, knowing his past self had got the justice he had deserved all those years ago…

  
His thoughts were interrupted by a new person coming into the fray, cursing to himself as he thought they were all alone.

  
The mysterious person was Fiona of all people, how did she knew they were here anyway?

  
“Zoey?!”

  
She averted her eyes from him, like a deer caught in the headlights, as a steaming guilt ran all throughout her body. They both know that she had been busted.

  
“Wh-what I don’t know why she came here? I definitely didn’t invite her, no siree-Bob!” Zoey tried and failed to cover up her involvement.

  
Rythian wasn't convinced in the slightest, “Hey, Fiona!”

  
“Hey, Ryth! Hey Lalna and Nano!” Fiona greeted them, before giving a kiss to her girlfriend, Rythian was taken back by the fact that Fiona didn’t seem angry with him anymore.

  
“So, Babe, where is my twenty bucks? I won the bet after all!” Fiona declared, holding her hand out to receive her spoils.

Zoey complied.

  
Now Rythian knew why she wasn't mad at him, it had something to do with their bet, he guessed, “Bet? What bet?”

  
Fiona played with her prize as she made eye contact with him, “Me and Zo, made a bet on how long it would take you to realise how dumb you're being and then apologise to everyone! I wagered two weeks, while Zoey did a month!”

  
“A month! Zo!” He felt so betrayed, his best friend and her girlfriend was making secret bets at his expense, and for a mizzly twenty bucks.

  
“I’m sorry, you were acting like a jerk, and I thought it was gonna take you forever to come to your senses. I didn't know you would come through a lot quicker than I expected! If it makes you feel better, I am now twenty bucks poorer!” Zoey explained, not hiding her guilt this time.

  
Rythian huffed and crossed his arms, he would need to sit down with Zoey and Fiona and give them a piece of his mind about their little wagers.

  
Before he could say anything to them, Nano and Lalna, hand in hand, came closer to see what was happening, “Can you please give it a rest guys, didn't we have enough arguments for a lifetime?” Nano interjected.

  
“Yeah, let’s forget about this and celebrate the good things, it’s time to start fresh and new and change things for the better!” Lalna agreed with his now former ex-girlfriend.

  
The three had calmed down and knew that the couple was right, it was time to put all the hard feelings in the past and keep them there.

  
“Hey, why don't we go out to eat and kickstart this new beginnings thing?” Fiona suggested as the rest loved her idea.

  
They then set off to start their celebration as the sun went down, signifying the bright future that was to come to them. The bright future they worked and fought so hard to achieve, and together they achieved it.

  
Achieve it they did!

  
Knowing that whatever life threw at them next, they were ready to deal with it together, realising a bright future was right around the corner. They just had to see it and work to make all their happiness come true.

  
And come true they did. 

  
Because only love and compassion can make that happen, not hate and fear, as everything happens for a reason.

  
In that bright future...

 

 

Can't wait to see you again?


End file.
